After years of drought and wells running dry, this Nova Scotia community is looking to the sea

For most of the decades he's been a volunteer firefighter, Walter Scott, chief of the Island and Barrington Passage Volunteer Fire Department, had never seen firefighters asked to help out with water shortages.

But that changed in 2016 during an unusually dry summer when the fire department found itself delivering water to dozens of households in southwestern Nova Scotia whose wells had run dry.  

"We were doing between 20 and 30 trips with water every week," he says. "​​Doing two nights of water deliveries every week for probably two months, it got to be very strenuous for the people that were taking part in it." 

In the years since then, water shortages have happened repeatedly, posing concerns for Scott who says it puts a worrisome strain on firefighters who are also dealing with other emergencies. 

And as the effects of climate change intensify, the Municipality of Barrington is looking to the sea as it faces threats to its water supply. 

The municipality is partnering with a Quebec-based company called Oneka Technologies to test a sustainable approach to desalination, which could potentially see some of the community's drinking water coming from the ocean. The pilot project is set to start in 2024.

While freshwater availability may not feel urgent to all Nova Scotians, particularly after the province's record-breaking rain in July 2023, project participants say it's part of preparing for an uncertain future. 

"We should, in general, think proactively to adapt and prepare for a new reality," says Dragan Tutic, Oneka Technologies' founder and CEO. "Adapting instead of reacting will really make it so much easier to prepare for next steps."

As a result of climate change, precipitation is projected to become more unpredictable in Canada, with consequences for water availability. Demand for water is also increasing.

The Barrington area came face to face with that reality in 2016. Some residents who depend on wells because they don't have access to a water utility were left without drinking water, unable to cook, wash or do laundry.

"We had never experienced that before," says Chris Frotten, chief administrative officer of the Municipality of the District of Barrington. "We considered it a local emergency."

The municipality outfitted some of its buildings with washers and dryers and delivered water through the three local volunteer departments.

After drought struck again in 2018, the municipality began thinking of water shortages as a chronic issue and offered financing for residents to upgrade their water supplies.

But in 2020, a third drought prompted the community to look at more systemic changes, including a community water source. Oneka Technologies was looking for community partner and got in touch.