Water restrictions lifted in Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, surrounding area

Water restrictions put in place for residents served by Lake Major have now been lifted, as water levels have finally been restored.

The restrictions, in effect for more than a month, meant residents in the communities of Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, Westphal, North Preston and Eastern Passage had to limit their water usage.

Halifax Water said in a release Monday that following rainfall over the weekend, which brought 68 mm to the region, Lake Major was once again at “sustainable season levels.”

READ MORE: Drought reaches 1,000 families in southwestern Nova Scotia

The restrictions were enforced after the region had gone through several weeks of warm, dry weather which left water levels in the lake almost a metre lower than usual.

“We started the restrictions on September 19 and we estimate about three million litres per day were saved, so that’s an enormous amount of water,” said James Campbell, spokesperson for Halifax Water.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We started the restrictions on September 19 and we estimate about three million litres per day were saved, so that's an enormous amount of water," said James Campbell, spokesperson for Halifax Water.

Water levels at Lake Major and elsewhere in the province have been critically low as Nova Scotia battled one of the worst droughts in decades.

1,000 families in Southwestern Nova Scotia were left without access to water after their wells dried up. It was a similar situation along the Eastern Shore, where some people had to turn to bottled water.

For the last month, Windsor, N.S., had been under a mandatory water conservation order.

READ MORE: Water levels now a concern in Windsor, N.S.

“The last couple of rains we’ve had on Thanksgiving and this weekend has helped substantially. Our lake levels were down between three and four feet and since then, we’ve seen a rise between 18 and 24 inches,” said Martin Croney, manager of water and wastewater for the Town of Windsor.

Despite many lakes in the province returning to normal, officials are still encouraging people to conserve.

“Now that we’re in good shape again, folks are welcome to use as much water as they need but we always recommend conservation because water is a precious resource,” said Campbell.