Water Pipeline Receives Environmental Approval
The Landrie Lake Water Utility, owned by the Town of Port Hawkesbury and the Municipality of the County of Richmond, has received environmental assessment approval for a pipeline project. (Province of Nova Scotia / File)
A new water pipeline will help enhance water security for people and businesses and support economic growth in the Port Hawkesbury and Richmond areas of Cape Breton.
The Landrie Lake Water Utility received environmental assessment approval today, March 4, for a new system that will allow more water from the utility’s watershed to flow to homes, businesses, fire services, community and recreation organizations.
“The water utility asked for this approval to support their work to ensure water supply keeps up with the growing demand,” said Timothy Halman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “The project also supports the success of two green hydrogen projects that are planned for this area, which will help us meet our climate goals. The project must comply with 41 stringent terms and conditions under their environmental assessment approvals to safeguard the environment and people.”
Quick Facts:
- the Landrie Lake Water Utility is owned by the Town of Port Hawkesbury and the Municipality of the County of Richmond
- the utility gets its water from the Landrie Lake watershed, which is owned and operated by the Department of Public Works
- the utility used a similar pipeline until 1992, but discontinued it when demand for water declined
- the new water pipeline supports the Province’s Green Hydrogen Action Plan
- an environmental assessment is a planning tool that requires companies to identify the possible environmental impacts of their project along with a plan to mitigate them; projects then typically need permits and/or approvals from the Department and/or other federal, provincial and municipal regulators before they can proceed
Additional Resources:
Environmental assessment approval and project documents for the Little River Pumping and Transmission System project: https://novascotia.ca/nse/ea/little-river-pumping-transmission-system/
More information on the environmental assessment process is available at: https://novascotia.ca/environmental-assessment-getting-started/
Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/environmental%20goals%20and%20climate%20change%20reduction.pdf
Our Climate, Our Future: Nova Scotia’s Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth: https://climatechange.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/ns-climate-change-plan.pdf
Green Hydrogen Action Plan: https://novascotia.ca/green-hydrogen/docs/green-hydrogen-action-plan.pdf