Repost - (Updated) Forested areas and forested parks access changes by county, provincial burn ban and voluntary & mandatory water conservation in HRM / Fireworks ban

Repost - (Updated) Forested areas and forested parks access changes by county, provincial burn ban and voluntary & mandatory water conservation in HRM / Fireworks ban - **** Halifax Water Release Repost - Mandatory Water Conservation Measures in effect for customers serviced by Lake Major Halifax Water is implementing mandatory Stage 1 water restrictions for the Lake Major effective immediately. This impacts water service for the communities of Dartmouth, Burnside, Cole Harbour, Westphal, North Preston and Eastern Passage (see attached map for affected service areas). This is due to the ongoing dry conditions and lack of precipitation. As a result, Lake Major has moved to the warning phase, which triggers the need for these mandatory Stage 1 restrictions. Customers may use this interactive map to determine if they are serviced by the Lake Major water supply. In order to conserve water, Halifax Water requests that all residents and businesses supplied by the Lake Major Water Supply Plant follow mandatory Stage 1 water conservation measures until further notice. The following activities are prohibited under mandatory Stage 1 conservation: · Watering lawns. · Washing vehicles. · Filling pools. · Watering golf courses. · Bulk Fill Stations serviced by Lake Major will be closed With the move to mandatory, residential and commercial customers are now expected to adhere to these measures. Failure to do so may result in a warning, a non-compliance fine, or suspension of service. These mandatory water conservation measures are being implemented to maintain essential water service for all customers in the Lake Major service area. The goal is to help reduce demand until the rainfall can replenish the lake and remove/delay the need for an engineered pumping solution. Additional mandatory Stage 2 restrictions may be implemented in the future if lake levels are not replenished. Halifax Water is also asking customers serviced by the Lake Major Water Supply to consider the following additional measures to conserve water: · If it’s yellow, let it mellow. Depending on the efficiency of your toilet, each flush uses between 6 to 26 litres of water. · Shorten your showers. Cut back on the frequency and length of showers. · Turn off the tap when you don’t need it. Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth, shaving, washing your face etc. Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes. Halifax Water customers serviced by Pockwock Lake remain under voluntary conservation measures. Visit halifaxwater.ca/reducing-your-water-wastewater-use for a full list of ways to conserve water. To learn more and find further resources and a weekly water level update visit Water Conservation in Effect for HRM | Halifax Water For more information on Halifax Water, please check www.halifaxwater.ca, visit us on YouTube, or Twitter @HalifaxWater, Facebook, or call our Customer Care Centre at 902-420-9287. - **** NS Gov Release Woods Restrictions to be Lifted in Pictou, Colchester Counties --------------------------------------------------------- The risk of wildfires is now low enough in Pictou and Colchester counties to allow restrictions on travel and activities in the woods to be lifted today, September 11. With the change, effective at 4 p.m., half the counties in the province will no longer be under the restrictions. Restrictions were lifted in the following counties on August 29: - Cape Breton - Richmond - Victoria - Inverness - Guysborough - Antigonish - Halifax. The burn ban remains in place for the entire province until October 15 – regarded as the end of wildfire season – or until conditions improve further. “Our experts are watching the conditions closely, and they’ve advised we are safe to lift the woods restrictions in two more counties,” said Premier Tim Houston. “I thank everyone for their efforts to prevent wildfires through this very difficult season. With every passing day, we’re closer to getting people’s lives back to normal. We especially want that for everyone affected by the Long Lake wildfire and I thank our crews for working extremely hard to get us there.” In the rest of the province, conditions continue to be extremely dry and hazardous, so the woods restrictions will remain in place until October 15 or until conditions allow them to be lifted. The affected counties are: - Cumberland - Hants - Lunenburg - Kings - Annapolis - Queens - Shelburne - Digby - Yarmouth. The fine for violating the restrictions is $25,000. Quick Facts: - decisions on restricting woods access are based on data modelling that measures how much dry, flammable material has built up that could easily start a fire - the woods restrictions were put in place August 5 through a proclamation under the Forests Act; a provincewide ban on open fires started on July 30 and will remain in place until October 15 or until conditions improve; the fine for violating the ban is $25,000 - people with questions about the restrictions can call their local Department of Natural Resources office - in counties where the woods restrictions have been lifted, hunting season will proceed as usual - in counties where the woods restrictions still apply, hunting in non-wooded, open spaces (such as fields) can go ahead as usual; if getting to the open space requires a short trip down a trail, that is fine Additional Resources: Woods restrictions proclamation updated September 11: https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestprotection/wildfire/woods-proclamation_2025-09-11.pdf News release – Woods Restrictions Lifted in Some Counties, Remain in Others: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/08/29/woods-restrictions-lifted-some-counties-remain-others News release – Travel, Activities in Woods Restricted to Prevent Wildfires: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/08/05/travel-activities-woods-restricted-prevent-wildfires News release – Provincewide Burn Ban in Effect: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/07/30/provincewide-burn-ban-effect Department of Natural Resources offices: https://novascotia.ca/natr/staffdir/offices_map.asp Natural Resources on X: https://x.com/NS_DNR -

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**** Via HRM