Some residents of the Town of Essex can resume watering their lawns again.
The Town on Sunday morning announced it was relaxing its temporary ban on outdoor water use after conditions at the Harrow and Colchester South water treatment plant improved over the weekend.
The ban was put in place on Wednesday after water levels at the plant fell dramatically. Those levels have since been replenished.
While the ban was in place, residents in the Harrow and Colchester South areas were not permitted to water their lawns and were also encouraged to keep indoor water use to essential tasks only to ease the strain on the system.
"I would like to thank the residents of Harrow and Colchester South for their cooperation in preserving the water supply," said Essex Mayor Richard Meloche in a media release. "This is a perfect example of the strength of our community in overcoming challenges. Please continue to adhere to the guidelines and be mindful of your water usage in an effort to preserve our current supply."
Residents may now use the following system for outdoor watering, under the Town's bylaws. Those guidelines include:
* Lawn and garden watering is only permitted on alternate days. Municipal addresses ending with even numbers are permitted to water on even calendar days and those ending with odd numbers may water on odd calendar days.
* Watering is only permitted between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., and between 6:00 p.m. and midnight on permitted days.
* Residents with a newly seeded or sodded lawn may apply to their local municipality for a permit temporarily exempting them from the restrictions.
The Harrow and Colchester South splash pad will remain closed until further notice. In the meantime, residents are encouraged to use the splash pad at the Essex Centre Sports Complex.
Complete information on the Town's watering bylaws can be found on its official website.
