Thursday, March 5, 2026
The Landrie Lake Water Utility has received environmental assessment approval as of March 4 to service the Port Hawkesbury and Richmond areas of Cape Breton, NB.
The Landrie Lake Water Utility is owned by the Town of Port Hawkesbury and the Municipality of the County of Richmond and the utility gets its water from the Landrie Lake watershed, which is owned and operated by the Department of Public Works, a government of Nova Scotia release said.
“The water utility asked for this approval to support their work to ensure water supply keeps up with the growing demand. 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,” provincial minister of environment and climate change Timothy Halman said.
The purpose of the proposed undertaking, the environmental assessment said. is to reinstate the Little River Transfer Pumphouse and water transmission pipeline to transfer water from the Little River Reservoir to Landrie Lake and enhance yield at the Landrie Lake Industrial Water Utility, located in Port Malcolm, NS.
The project reinstates existing site access and would build an intake structure, pumphouse, pumping and piping systems, controls and a 2.75 km buried water transmission pipeline constructed largely along the existing right-of-way, the assessment said.
Work could start on the project within two years of approval and construction is estimated to take approximately 16 months with an operational life of 50 to 100 years.
The utility used a similar pipeline until 1992, the release said, but discontinued it when demand for water declined.
