The dry conditions are hitting Morden especially hard as the city declared an extreme drought Tuesday.
The current lake level is 8’11” below the full supply level, and officials are hoping they can reduce the water usage in the city by 30 per cent.
Among other recommendations, the city is asking residents not to wash vehicles at private residences and for commercial car washes to reduce hours of operation by 20 per cent.
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Splash pads will not be operated and water from the city should not be used to fill pools.
Any activities which result in water spraying or draining on the street are not allowed while there is a mandatory maximum one day per week schedule for garden watering.
At Long Plain First Nation, the drought situation is getting so serious that there’s a real fear of not having enough water to serve the community’s residents.
Chief Dennis Meeches told 680 CJOB that’s exactly what happened on Long Plain First Nation late last week.
“The aquifers are quite low, of course the Assiniboine River is quite low this year, so there were concerns expressed — and the decision was made to turn the pumps off,” said Meeches.
The First Nation used a variety of methods to bring water in, including renting a tanker from a nearby Hutterite colony.
Meeches said without a long-term plan, this could easily happen again. His community is looking at tapping into nearby Portage la Prairie’s municipal line in the future.