Water levels in Halifax still being monitored, conservation requests remain in place

Water worries continue in the Halifax area Halifax Water is continuing to ask residents on the Lake Major system to voluntarily cut back on their water usage.

Water delivery business owner Dominik Typert doesn’t take many breaks from filling her water delivery truck.

“It’s chaotic, sun up to sundown right now,” she says. “With the lack of rain and even snow last winter it isn’t helping. So many lakes are low.”

Low water levels around the province are causing wells to dry up and also impacting Halifax's water supply.

Last week the utility asked the 118,000 residents on the Lake Major system to conserve water.

“We have seen that usage is down a little bit and the rain over the last few days has helped,” says Halifax Water’s communications advisor, Brittany Smith.

Smith says the water levels are not high enough however to lift the voluntary request. The lake is about one metre below historical levels and part of the problem is with the intake system.

“Think of it a glass with a short straw, and unfortunately, that straw cannot get down to the water,” Smith says.

Engineers say they are currently working on a short term measure that will extend the hose into a deeper part of the lake.

Until that's ready, Halifax water says they are shutting down bulk filling stations in Burnside and Woodside.

“For customers on the Dartmouth side it’s going to be a little bit longer wait,” says driver Jamie Saunders. “The customers that need water, bear with us.”

Some companies are making up to eight deliveries per day, per truck and the wait for a delivery can be up to a week.

“We’re travelling further for water. We’ve got the bridge we’ve got to go through. We’ve got to go through Joe Howe (Drive), which makes traffic,” Typert says.

Halifax water says the other city supplies are holding up and no other measures are planned for now.

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