Save Williams Lake

We are a volunteer group calling on Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) to repair the Williams Lake Dam and restore water levels from decades past. Williams Lake is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia between Purcell’s Cove Road and borders on a vital part of the backlands of Shaw Wilderness Park. It is located in the 9th and 11th wards of HRM.

We have growing concerns about the long-term sustainability of the aquatic life and surrounding wildlife that depend on health of the lake.

Fifteen years ago, The Williams Lake Conservation Company hired YMCL Engineering to assess the dam. In their 2005 report, YMCL stated that over 3.7 million litres of water per day was leaking under the dam during seasonal low water levels. They concluded that the dam desperately needed repairs, and noted that “The existing dam does not satisfy the requirements of the Canadian Dam Association (CDA).”

When the Shaw Wilderness Park was created, Williams Lake was promoted as a critical piece of this urban wilderness park. Today, most swimming areas are difficult to reach, and the once beautiful shoreline has been reduced to boulders or mudflats. The public access at the west end of the lake for kayaks and canoes is a mudflat and is inaccessible.

Shaw Wilderness Park was recently secured with six millions dollars in financial investments funded by HRM, federal and provincial governments, community members, and corporations. Williams Lake is an integral part of our community infrastructure and must be made a priority.

Let’s get loud! Our voices will make the difference. Please sign this petition and act now. Call on our local officials to restore the water levels and re-invest in the park’s greatest asset - Williams Lake.