For the last few weeks, Juliann Dickie’s daily routine has looked a little different. Read MoreSome residents in rural Ottawa have not had access to drinking water for weeks as they call on the city for emergency support.
Some residents in rural Ottawa have not had access to drinking water for weeks as they call on the city for emergency support.
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For the last few weeks, Juliann Dickie’s daily routine has looked a little different.
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She drives to the Carp Arena to take her morning shower, though she says there’s no hot water. At home, she can’t forget to dump a bucket of water into the toilet before flushing. She boils water to cook meals and do dishes. Every load of laundry involves a 20-minute drive to a laundromat.
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Dickie’s shallow well has been dry for almost two weeks on her property in rural west-end Ottawa, and she’s been told by several well-drilling companies that it won’t recover until next spring.
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The Evening Citizen
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“It’s been apocalyptic,” said Dickie, a resident of Marathon Village.
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“We’re tired, we’re stressed, and now we’re planning how we’re going to make it through the winter,” Dickie said.
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With no access to drinking water becoming an “emergency situation” for households with dry wells, some residents are calling on the City of Ottawa for an urgent response ahead of winter.
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“We need it declared a water emergency. We need reliable water delivery. We need better facilities, and we need a plan to help us through the winter,” Dickie said. “Rural Ottawa is not asking for special treatment for our private wells. We’re asking for a basic right to water and a co-ordinated emergency response.”
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We’re tired, we’re stressed, and now we’re planning how we’re going to make it through the winter
Juliann Dickie Ottawa Resident
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While unavailable for an interview, West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly said on social media that he was working with the city’s emergency operations groups to determine if additional city resources could be allocated to those impacted by dry wells.
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“While private well maintenance is not a city responsibility, I am of the opinion that we are now in an emergency situation, which requires consideration from the City of Ottawa, which is tasked with emergency response,” Kelly wrote in an Oct. 17 post.
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The City of Ottawa did not respond for comment in time for publication, but staff briefly addressed the situation at an environment and climate change committee meeting on Tuesday.
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The city is “monitoring the situation very closely,” but it is not yet at the level to activate the city-wide emergency response plan. This plan may be activated if conditions worsen or if risks to public health or safety emerge, Ryan Perrault, general manager of emergency and protective services, told the committee.