Residents in southern Manitoba are being asked to conserve water during hot, dry weather

Thousands of people in south-central Manitoba are being asked by authorities with a water distribution system to slow the flow as hot, dry weather drives up the need for moisture.

The private, not-for-profit Pembina Valley Water Co-operative Inc. (PVWC), said in a statement posted on its website that demand for water is outstripping the supply for its treatment plant at Letellier, south of Winnipeg.

“The temperatures have gone up quite a bit the last week or so and as a result a number of things are happening. The general public is using more water,” Greg Archibald CEO of PVWC said over the phone to Global News. “Secondly at this stage we were lucky to get early crops in, but now they’re using spraying equipment.”

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People are being asked to avoid non-essential water use, which includes watering lawns and gardens, filling swimming pools, washing vehicles and other activities.

“We want to continue to supply the good drinking water, just asking people to hold off on non-essential,” Archibald said.

The communities of Winkler and Altona, along with the rural municipalities of Montcalm and Stanley, Municipality of Rhineland and Emerson Franklin are affected.

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The statement says the situation will be evaluated on a daily basis.

The co-operative’s pipeline distribution system covers a service area of 9,000 square kilometres and serves about 50,000 people.

Water treatment plants are also located in Morris and Stephenfield.

The co-operative was formed in the early 1990s by a number of municipalities to develop a regional approach to supplying potable water.

Files from Global News