ARGYLE, N.S. -- The Nova Scotia government is buying bottled water and dispatching tanker trucks to a southwestern stretch of the province grappling with an extended drought.
The Emergency Management Office said it has been working in Argyle, Barrington and Yarmouth to make sure people whose wells have run dry have access to drinking water.
The dry weather throughout the summer has caused many Nova Scotia wells to dry up, but the southwestern region has seen less rain than any other area.
There is rain in the forecast, but there was concern that it may not be enough to fill the region's water table.
Municipal Affairs Minister Chuck Porter said Tuesday he has been speaking with the wardens in the area.
"We want to have a discussion about what the long-term looks like," he said outside the legislature.
Porter also said he is working with the Retail Council of Canada to buy drinking water.
The province is also supplying non-potable water in two tanker trucks to local fire departments, which is then distributed to residents.
"The cost of a truckload of bottled water is approximately $6,000 per load," Susan Mader Zinck of the Emergency Management Office said in an email. "The non-potable water is being provided by Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal in two tanker trucks and will be refilled as needed."
The region suffered through a similar drought in 2016.
