Why didn’t Sable Island suffer from this year’s drought?

While the Maritimes suffered a long drought this year, Sable Island did not have the same problem.

This is because the island, located 290 kilometers southeast of Halifax, has a large underground supply of fresh water.

“I“Think of a giant, upside-down dome of fresh water floating above dense salt water in the ocean,” explained Audrey Levesque, Parks Canada’s visitor experience co-ordinator on Sable Island. information morning This week.

“The sand beneath the island is completely permeable, so it acts like a giant sponge.”

Levesque says the island receives slightly more rain and snowfall on a regular basis than the Halifax area and the water percolates underground almost immediately, which is why the island does not have streams.

Over time, this fresh water forms a thick layer of groundwater that can be up to 30 meters deep, with some studies suggesting it may be even deeper.

“You need to imagine this soft, round volume of water at the bottom of the island, highest in the middle and gradually tapering off toward the beaches,” Levesque said.

Levesque said this is not unique to Sable Island. This happens on many islands and coastal areas where large amounts of water become trapped in wet sand.

This phenomenon means that wildlife on Sable Island has access to 21 permanent ponds and water that is available year-round.

But Levesque says the island’s famous horses have also begun digging for their water supplies.

“In places where water does not reach ponds, they are digging wells in the sand,” she says.

The few who are on the island have a well that supplies them with fresh water. Levesque says this water supply is better than what people on the mainland consume.

“You don’t bring water, we’ll provide it,” he said, “and it will taste much better.”

While the rest of Nova Scotia struggled with crops and wells drying up, Sable Island did not have this problem, despite a dry spring.

“wOur rainfall was normal,” Levesque said. ,We checked the water level in the well. We were monitoring it, but it never reached the point of concern.

more top stories