Low water warning issued for Napanee, Belleville regions
Residents of the regions around Belleville, Napanee, Madoc and north of Kingston, Ont., are being asked to conserve water after a dry spell resulted in low water levels.
Quinte Conservation has declared a "Level 2 Low Water Condition" for the Moira, Napanee and Salmon watersheds.
That means wells have water levels below normal for this time of year, and with warm temperatures and little rain in the forecast, levels could drop further, leading to serious water supply issue in the region.
When water levels drop enough to declare a Level 3 condition, municipalities can implement water bans.
The last time a Level 3 was declared was in 2016.
Water levels aren't quite that low, but are similar to last year's levels, Lynette Lambert, a watershed monitoring co-ordinator with the conservation authority told CBC Ottawa.
While larger municipalities such as Belleville and Napanee draw their water from the Bay of Quinte, the low levels can have consequences for those in the rural northern part of the region who rely primarily on groundwater, she said.
The conservation authority is asking residents and businesses in the area to cut their water usage by 20 per cent until the groundwater supply is restored.
That can mean limiting showers, cutting back on laundry, refraining from watering lawns, using rain barrels and fixing any leaky plumbing.
