Landrie Lake has been a major water supply for Port Hawkesbury and surrounding areas for many years. The Landrie Lake Water Utility was established by the province of Nova Scotia in the 1960’s to meet the needs of the Point Tupper Industrial Park and has supplied fresh water to the large industrial plants. It also provides water to the water treatment plant for the town to provide potable water to businesses and residents.
The water demand has decreased since large industries left the industrial park and as of now the two main customers that use the utility are The Town of Port Hawkesbury and Port Hawkesbury Paper. It also being utilized on a small scale by Nova Scotia Power, Everwind Fuels, and Tupper Industrial Development.
The Town has been working with green hydrogen ammonia developers that wish to create production facilities in the area. These companies include Bearhead Energy, Fortescue Future Industries, and Everwind Fuels. All three are looking at making major developments.
These facilities will require a significant amount of freshwater, and this could lead to an increased demand for water usage from the utility. “We’ve been working with these companies for a number of months trying to refine their needs and we are looking at how to best service the new industry.” Says Town CAO Terry Doyle.
The municipality will remain very cautious and conservative as water is an extremely valuable resource, but they are confident that the Landrie Lake Water Utility can meet the potential water demands from these new industries.
