LSD to connect with Clarenville

Milton and George’s Brook’s Local Service District (LSD) may be tapping into Clarenville’s water system.

Representatives from the LSD and Clarenville Town Council met with Ross Wiseman, MHA for Trinity North, last Thursday to discuss the potential solution to Milton and George’s Brook’s water problem.

The private meeting brought out three representatives from the LSD and most of Clarenville’s Council. Although Clarenville Mayor Fred Best was present during the meeting, he refused comment, defering all questions to Wiseman.

“The LSD of Milton-George’s Brook has some issues with its water that they would like to have addressed and the town of Clarenville is a potential solution,” Wiseman said. He said other solutions have been explored before.

Possible solutions

In 2008, the LSD received $37,725 to conduct a water supply alternatives study. With that funding, the communities brought in a local engineering firm to assess the current water system.

The firm advised the LSD of three future solutions to the water problem: update Milton and George’s Brook’s separate water systems, install a new system for the two communities or hook up to Clarenville’s existing system.

In a LSD meeting last May, costs for the solutions were presented to the community: updating the separate systems would cost around $14 million; installing a new system for the two communities, between $12 million and $13 million; and joining Clarenville’s current water system, around $10 million.

Through a new cost-share ratio announced in 2008 by the Province, towns with populations under 3,000 must contribute 10 per cent towards the cost of capital infrastructure.

This means, the least expensive option would cost the community $1 million.

The concern that the 300 households in the LSD couldn’t support that kind of development was raised during the LSD meeting in May. But, when the Packet called LSD vice-chair Glenn Baker for comment, he declined. Co-chair Chrissy Nurse couldn’t be reached for comment.

The option of joining Clarenville was the basis of last week’s meeting between the LSD, Council and Wiseman.

Wiseman said he had been having individual conversations with Clarenville, Milton and George’s Brook residents over the past couple years. Rather than continuing to have separate discussions with both groups, said Wiseman, he proposed a meeting between the LSD and Council.

“I invited the two of them to come and meet with me to… share their (perspectives), in the case of the LSD particularly, and talk about the dilemma (the LSD) has, how (the LSD) is looking for a solution and how that solution might be found through the town of Clarenville,” he said.

Milton and George’s Brook first made a request to explore the possibility of tapping into the larger town’s system in May 2008. Milton is currently watered from Lily’s Pond, about 485 feet above sea level.

Although the water can be described as suitable at best, problems with the water system date back to the early 1990s.

In Milton, the water system was installed in the 1970s to service 75 to 80 households. There are now around 300 households using it, and more to come with future development.

In 1990, after the community faced dangerously low water the idea, talks of connecting its waterlines onto Shoal Harbour’s was discussed. The link would only be used on an emergency basis, but residents were wary of the cost and implications.

The town would be charged $1.02 for every 1,000 gallons of water used. But, to link up permanently, the town would have to form a LSD, which it didn’t want to do at that time.

Construction for the emergency line was stalled when it was nearly completed due to lack of funding.

A year later, the community was forced to finish the line and hook onto the Shoal Harbour system when its water supply from Lily Pond dried up.

It wasn’t until the community joined up with George’s Brook to form a LSD that funding was made available for permanent repairs to the waterline.

The issue didn’t end there. With countless boil water warnings over the past few years, numerous community meetings and the government-funded study, it became apparent that a permanent fix is needed.

Although the communities seemed torn about which option to choose during the LSD meeting last May, one thing was apparent: the community didn’t want an increase in service fees and didn’t want to amalgamate with Clarenville.

Wiseman said the LSD wasn’t going to be forced to amalgamate with Clarenville.

“The discussion the community of Milton-George’s Brook would have about their future is an internal thing to their town,” Wiseman said. “How they choose to govern themselves and how they choose to organize themselves, that’s a community decision; everybody respects that.”

Wiseman noted Municipal Affairs isn’t pressuring the communities to amalgamate, but does encourage sharing services.

“Municipal Affairs has encouraged a regional approach to services where it makes sense,” he said. “If communities in a region can come together and share services (and) share facilities, then there is some real benefit to the community in that.”

Wiseman said Milton and George’s Brook’s water issues aren’t as simple as connecting a couple pieces of pipe. As a committee, the LSD needs to explore options and implications of the different solutions and present them to the community.

“Then it becomes a community decision as to how they want to proceed,” he said.

LSD representatives, along with the Clarenville Town Council and Wiseman are planning on having a second meeting towards the end of September regarding connecting the LSD to Clarenville.

mclarkson@thepacket