Marjorie Snelgrove checking the water level in her well in the Goulds. Snelgrove and her family have been rationing their use of water because of low water levels. Mark Squibb photo
By Mark Squibb
When bath time comes round at Marjorie Snelgrove’s house, two of her oldest grandchildren flip a coin to see who gets to jump in the tub first.
It’s not that the boys are excited to get a bath, it’s just that it has become a bit of a luxury now that the family’s well has run nearly dry because of this past hot summer and mild winter.
Snelgrove said her well would have run dry, except that a local Goulds resident, Scott Williams of First Choice Mobile Wash, has been topping it up since June, free of charge.
“He comes at least twice a week… he just arrives, and I’ll go out and have a little chat with him, and so forth and so on,” said Snelgrove. “And that’s how I have lived since the end of June — on the courtesy of Mr. Scott Williams.”
Without the kindness of that resident, Snelgrove said, she would have no water, simple as that, and she would be only one of many.
Snelgrove has lived on the Back Line for 50 years and said she has never seen a summer as bad as this.
“It seems like every summer gets worse,” said Snelgrove. “It could be the climate changing, l don’t know. I don’t know what the answer is. I think if it had been compulsory 50-odd years ago when I built this house to put in artesian wells, I would have had one… The well that we’re using is the family well.”
Snelgrove shares her home with her daughter and her partner, along with four grandchildren. She said they have to stretch water as much as they can. That means buying bottled water, sharing bath water, and washing the dishes only once a day, often with donations of litre bottles of water.
The well water is strictly reserved for bathing and flushing toilets.
“There’s no luxuries here,” said Snelgrove. “I washed the floor this morning for the first time since I don’t know when, because I saved the water that rained yesterday. And I was able to give it a lick. Not like I’d like to, but it’s presentable.”
Snelgrove said she has reached out to the City of St. John's, but to no avail.
The Irish Loop Post also contacted the City asking how it is assisting residents, particularly of the Goulds, who are not connected to the municipal water supply and in fear their wells will run dry.
The City sent a statement.
“We understand the challenges residents face due to dry conditions and the stress this can create,” read the statement. “Private wells are the responsibility of the property owner, and the City does not monitor or maintain them. We encourage residents to seek the guidance of qualified professionals for advice, testing, or support to help ensure their water supply is maintained and safe.”
Snelgrove quipped the problem would be easy to solve herself — if she were rich.
“I don’t know what to do,” said Snelgrove. “Why don’t they treat me like (the rest) in the City of St. John’s? I pay the same taxes. I pay my taxes to the City. Not to the Goulds. But nobody cares. I don’t know what they could do to help me. I’m a senior living on a senior’s pension. People say it’s $30,000 to put in an artesian well. I don’t know if the City could put the hole in the ground with the pipe and I would pay the plumber in dribs and drabs. I’m not fighting the council. I’m asking if there’s anything they can do to help me get water.”
