The Town of Middleton officially celebrated the completion of its new water reservoir on Monday, September 21, marking a significant investment in the community’s water infrastructure and its ability to support future growth.
Members of the public joined Middleton Town Council and staff, representatives from Annapolis County Council, and members of the public for a grand opening ceremony at the new reservoir site.
The new reservoir replaces Middleton’s aging reservoir and represents an important long-term investment in the reliability and capacity of the Town’s water system.
Designed with Middleton’s future in mind, the new reservoir provides additional capacity to accommodate residential and commercial development as the community grows. The project was designed to allow for further expansion of the system in the future, including the potential addition of a second reservoir on the property should increased demand eventually require it. Supporting infrastructure has been incorporated into the site to help facilitate future expansion.
The Province of Nova Scotia announced funding for the project in 2024 through the Municipal Capital Growth Program. At the time, the Province identified the project as an important piece of infrastructure that would allow approximately 800 new properties to access Middleton’s water system while providing improved water service and fire protection for 717 existing homes.
Middleton’s water originates from the Town’s well field and is pumped through the municipal water system to the reservoir. Water is chlorinated as part of the Town’s standard water treatment process before being distributed through the system.
The reservoir also provides an important level of resiliency for the community. At normal usage levels, the reservoir has the capacity to provide approximately five days of water supply. The facility’s backup generator can support continued operation of the water system for approximately nine days in the event of an extended power outage.
Construction of the new reservoir was a multi-year undertaking. The Town ordered the new water storage tank and dome roof through Roscoe Construction and Aquastore in August 2024. Following site preparation, construction, equipment installation and extensive testing, including testing of the SCADA system that allows the reservoir to communicate with the rest of Middleton’s water system, the project was completed in August 2026.
The new reservoir is now fully integrated into Middleton’s municipal water system and the de-commissioning of the old reservoir is nearly completed.
The Town of Middleton thanks the contractors, engineers, staff, funding partners and everyone involved in bringing this important infrastructure project to completion.
With the new reservoir now in service, Middleton has strengthened a critical piece of municipal infrastructure while creating additional capacity to support the community for years to come.
Mayor Gail Smith giving the opening speech
From left to right: Councillor Jonathan Archibald, Councillor Dan Smith, Deputy Mayor Gary Marshall, Councillor John Bartlett, Councillor Bernadette Knapp, Mayor Gail Smith
Members of the public, County of Annapolis Council, Town of Middleton Council and staff listening to the Mayor's opening speech.
Director of Public Works, Adam Verran, explaining how the reservoir operates.
Mayor Gail Smith cuts the ribbon with Council to officially open the reservoir.
The new reservoir on Junction Road.
