Consulting firm outlines timeline for new water source exploration in Blacks Harbour
The company was contracted by Eastern Charlotte to start the process of looking amid ongoing water quality issues in the community that have forced several boil water orders in the past several years.
In October, Eastern Charlotte Coun. Adam Hatt, who lives in Blacks Harbour, brought three containers of water to the regular meeting – one drawn from a cool purchased at a local store, one from a filtered tap, and one from an unfiltered tap.
Two – the filtered and unfiltered one – showed yellow discolouration and brown sediment-filled water, the likes of which people in Blacks Harbour and Beaver Harbour have been dealing with.
The water supply is owned by a private company, Connors Brothers – a fish processing and packing facility.
'Our water quality is still having issues,' Hatt said during the April regular meeting of the council.
He describes being inundated with messages and calls he's taken about the water quality, and asked the council to look at a viable option to provide some financial relief for ratepayers.
'Every time a flare-up happens, somebody has washed clothes or somebody has had to spend a bunch of money to get rid of stains out of their toilet or bathtubs … just an onslaught of problems,' he said. 'I think it is only right that council looks at that.
'It's time that we do something for them.'
The council unanimously support Hatt in his proposal to offer something to the ratepayers. It remains unclear what the council could.
But the timeline has become a little clear following a presentation by Laura Leger.
She said the municipality and Englobe are working toward securing land agreements in Zone E off Highway 176.
At least one property owner has said no to possible exploration, but the company thinks further conversations could be had with each property owner.
'All the landowner agreements have been sent by mail,' she said.
It would like to finalize the land agreements by the end of May. Leger added they'll look to do an environmental impact assessment (EIA) review and additional environmental studies between June and August.
It will move to well drilling and pumping tests in September and December. It intends to have the final hydrogeological assessment and final EIA done between January and March 2026.
'At the end of the EIA review process, the goal is to receive approval for those wells so the town can proceed into the next phase,' she said. 'Funding approvals and hopefully a design and construction project.'
Mayor John Craig, who also lives in Blacks Harbour, said every member of the council is dedicated to solving this problem for the residents and business owners in those communities.
'Everybody at this table realizes how important this is,' he said. 'What is good for Blacks Harbour is good for all of Eastern Charlotte.'
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