The prolonged hot, dry weather has resulted in low water levels in Lake Major. Lake Major serves the communities of Dartmouth, Burnside, Cole Harbour, Eastern Passage, North Preston and Westphal.
Water Supply Risk Level
Watch Level
The prolonged hot, dry weather has resulted in low water levels in Lake Major.
In order to conserve water, Halifax Water is requesting that all residents and businesses supplied by the Lake Major Water Supply Plant follow voluntary water conservation measures until further notice
This information was last updated on November 14, 2024.
November 14, 2024
In accordance with Halifax Water’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan, this places the system in the watch phase.
Lake Major serves the communities of Dartmouth, Burnside, Cole Harbour, Eastern Passage, North Preston and Westphal (see attached map for affected service area).
In order to conserve water, Halifax Water is instituting a voluntary water conservation measures for all residents and businesses supplied by the Lake Major Water Supply Plant, until further notice. The water conservation measures include:
- If it’s yellow, let it mellow. Depending on the efficiency of your toilet, each flush uses between 6 to 26 litres of water.
- Shorten your showers. Cut back on the frequency and length of showers.
- Turn off the tap when you don’t need it. Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth, shaving, washing your face etc.
- Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes.
These voluntary water conservation measures are being implemented to maintain essential water service for all customers in the Lake Major service area. Conserving water will help avoid a potentially serious situation involving future water outages.
Find Out If Your Property Is Serviced By Lake Major
Enter the address of your home/property in the address bar below to find out where your water comes from. If it comes from the Lake Major Water Supply Plant, we request that you follow voluntary water conservation measures until further notice.
You can view a larger version of the Lake Major Voluntary Water Conservation Measures map in a new browser window.
Reducing water consumption and saving water has never been easier. Any number of the tips below can get you started on saving water inside and outside your home:
Conservation Inside Your Home
- Install low flow shower heads and appliances
- Install a dual flush toilet
- Regularly check for and repair any leaks
- Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes
- Take shorter showers by reducing your current shower time by a couple of minutes
- Turning off the water while brushing your teeth
- Fill the sink with water when shaving rather than allowing the water to run
- Take frozen food out of the freezer early to allow time to thaw without running under hot water
Conservation Outside
- Reduce or stop lawn, garden, plant watering or other outside water usage.
- Reduce or stop car/RV or other vehicle washing at home
- Check for leaks in pipes, hoses, faucets, and couplings
- Leaks outside the house may not seem as bad since they are not as visible, but they can be just as wasteful as leaks inside. Check frequently and keep them drip-free
- Catch rainwater in barrels for use later in your garden
- Using mulch as a ground cover in flower beds
- Sweeping driveways and walkways, never use water to clean driveways/walkways
- Keeping swimming pools covered when not in use
- Turning off your hose when washing your car. Turn the hose on to rinse only
- Allowing your lawn to go dormant (brown) during drought periods. It will recover after a good rainfall
Residents who receive their drinking water from a source other than Halifax Water, such as private well systems, are not subject to the voluntary water conservation measures from Halifax Water. However, with water levels at Lake Major and other lakes across the municipality dropping, it is likely that the water table throughout the municipality is also lower than normal. Residents who rely on private well systems for drinking water may wish to conserve water to mitigate the risk of wells running dry.
The Province of Nova Scotia’s Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSDECC) is the authority on private well systems and has the following resources available for residents to refer to: