The mayor of CBS says now is the time to get started on discussions to secure a new water supply for the town.

Right now most of CBS is reliant on Bay Bulls Big Pond in St. John’s which also serves Paradise and parts of the capital city.

Water conservation orders are becoming more commonplace as demand on the water supply continues to grow.

Darrin Bent says they’re looking at adding Thomas Pond to the system, but even if work were to start today, it would take more than a decade to come online.

“One of the things I can tell you,” says Bent, “is that you need your provincial partners, you need your federal partners to be at the table to talk about funding arrangements so that the cost is not downloaded directly onto residents. We’ve had some discussions…with provincial counterparts…but not in a formal. ‘let’s get something done’ way, and that needs to happen.”