Water levels now a concern in Windsor, N.S.

The water level at the Mill Lake reservoir in Windsor, N.S., is now several feet below what it should be and is now considered extremely low.

“The last that it’s been close to this was ’96 and we believe it’s lower now than it was then,” said Troy Burgess, superintendent of operations for the Town of Windsor.

John Bregante, the town’s mayor, said much of the area’s water supply was depleted following a fire at Edgehill Estates earlier this month.

READ MORE: 100 people displaced due to Windsor, NS, apartment fire

The concern for many now is with limited water, what happens if there’s another blaze? Fire officials in Windsor spent the day Saturday using nearby Lake Pisiquid to fill their trucks in the event of an emergency.

“It’s getting to the point, if we were to have another large fire we would be in serious trouble,” said Bregante.

“As it is, the whole valley has seen an exceptional high, dry summer with very, very little rain. We actually do need and we’re praying for rain.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's getting to the point, if we were to have another large fire we would be in serious trouble," said Bregante.</p><p>"As it is, the whole valley has seen an exceptional high, dry summer with very, very little rain. We actually do need and we're praying for rain."

Residents and businesses in the Town of Windsor are now under a mandatory water conservation order, with officials reminding people to avoid activities that use an unnecessary amount of water.

“We’re asking people not to water their lawns, not to wash their cars and that sort of thing,” said Bregante. “I know it’s difficult, but we’re asking people for their cooperation so that we don’t have to go to even further, stronger methods of water consumption.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're asking people not to water their lawns, not to wash their cars and that sort of thing," said Bregante. "I know it's difficult, but we're asking people for their cooperation so that we don't have to go to even further, stronger methods of water consumption."

The water advisory comes as southwestern Nova Scotia deals with one of the worst droughts the province has seen in decades. One-thousand families are now relying on bottled water through the south shore.

WATCH: Drought reaches 1,000 families in southwestern Nova Scotia

Officials in Windsor said they want to start conserving water now, so the town won’t find itself in the same dire position.

“It’s not critical, it’s more due diligence on our part not to reach critical,” said Burgess. “But it is very serious.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's not critical, it's more due diligence on our part not to reach critical," said Burgess. "But it is very serious."

Officials said a lack of rain this summer will also likely affect farmers – and consumers – in the coming months.

“It’s been so dry and the lakes and the rivers are really down significantly so there’s no water for them to draw from to help irrigate the crops,” said Bregante. “We’re going to pay for it in the long run because it’s gonna be higher costs.”

People in Windsor are being asked to conserve water until they’re told otherwise. At this point, rain is what’s desperately needed to improve the water level.

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