The council in Eastern Charlotte has had its first full meeting with the engineering company looking for a new water source in Blacks Harbour.
For more than a year, the water in Blacks Harbour and Beaver Harbour has been discoloured and full of sediment. The supply is owned by a private company called Connors Brothers, a fish packing and processing plant.
While the water has been tested to be safe, residents have expressed frustration over its colour on social media.
Coun. Adam Hatt brought samples of water from his home to a council meeting in October — one was entirely brown and filled with sediment.
“This is 54 weeks later, the water is not fixed,” he said in an interview with CHCO-TV at the time. “It needs to be fixed. We’re charging residents for this, (that’s) unacceptable, you can’t, like to me I’m not drinking this.”
Eastern Charlotte has spent $500,000 through joint funding for Englobe, an engineering firm, to look at finding a new sustainable water source.
“These things takes time to find a good source, and that’s where it’s at,” said Eastern Charlotte Mayor John Craig. “Without getting into too many details, it is still being worked on.”
Craig said he understands that this has been difficult for the people of Blacks Harbour and Beaver Harbour.
“I’m down there as well, too, and Councillor Hatt and it’s very frustrating,” he said speaking with CHCO-TV.
Craig said there is an understanding that the water lines Connors Brothers has “aren’t great.”
“We have to have new lines into the Harbor and, as well as, a water treatment plant,” Craig explained. “That’s a given.”
He said he believes they have a better understanding of the overall issue and what needs to be done as they explore the options.
“I can assure you that it is a priority for this council,” he said. “That is the number one item that we are trying to get solved.”
