Extended power outages caused by Hurricane Dorian have led to additional problems in Inverness Co.
Betty Ann MacQuarrie, the warden of the municipality, says six of the seven municipal water systems no longer have sufficient reserves to fight fires, and the entire municipality is under a fire ban.
MacQuarrie tells The Hawk Mabou has enough water for firefighting, but it’s their only water system that does.
“The others are struggling to get it back to where it has to be for fire protection- there still is a fire ban on, although it’s nice and wet outside,” she says. “Still, people are urged to be careful about fires- we don’t want a fire to start, because the water resource is not there.”
MacQuarrie says residents on all water systems, including Mabou, should continue to limit water usage until reserve water levels can be restored, and the situation is resolved.
She says conservation is key.
“In all of the communities, we’re advising everybody to conserve water,” she says. “For the use of the community, but more importantly, for that percentage that we need for fire protection.”
MacQuarrie says they won’t lift conservation advisories until reservoirs can be refilled to a point that allows them to safely maintain firefighting services.
