The Grand River Low Water Response Team is recommending water conservation throughout the Grand River watershed.
The call for conservation comes from the group, made up of representatives of major water users including municipalities, farmers, golf course operators, water bottlers, aggregate businesses, Six Nations and others.
The team has placed the Grand River watershed in a Level 1 condition. Level 1 results in a request for a voluntary 10% reduction in water consumption by all water users.
For residents, the most effective way to conserve water is to follow municipal outdoor water use bylaws, which limit watering to specific days and times.
Some parts of the watershed have not recorded any rain since the last week in June.
The short-term weather forecast shows limited precipitation and continued hot temperatures over the next week.
The Grand River Conservation Authority’s major reservoirs are within their normal operating range for this time of year.
The GRCA has been augmenting the flow in the Grand, Conestogo and Speed rivers with water stored in its reservoir system. The water in the reservoirs is released gradually during the summer and fall to ensure there is enough water to support the operation of municipal drinking water plants and wastewater treatment plants.