New BrunswickCity hall and industrial users have taken steps to ease the pressure on Saint John’s drinking water supply, but with levels still a metre below normal, residents are being asked to reduce their water use too.Stop washing cars and watering lawns, city says as it lists conservation stepsMark Leger · CBC News · Posted: Sep 22, 2025 4:48 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoThe Loch Lomond watershed is the source of drinking water for Saint John, and the city is asking residents to conserve water to help return the lakes to a normal level. (Roger Cosman/CBC)After a dry few months with very little rain, the City of Saint John is asking residents to conserve water to help restore the east side Loch Lomond watershed to the right level and keep the water flowing into the nearby treatment plant.Dean Price, the manager of source water protection with Saint John Water, says the water level is down about a metre from where it should be, because the city has had so little rain.”It’s continually dropped in July, August and September, so we’ve not gained any water in the last couple of months,” Price said. “Every day it goes down, whether it’s 10 millimetres or 19 millimetres, depending on the temperatures. Normally, this time of year we’re starting to recover, and the lakes are starting to fill back up.”We want to have the lakes back up in full by wintertime, and of course, they usually freeze up in December. It’s important to have that stored water and ice over the winter to kind of get us through next year.”WATCH | What you can do to conserve water: If water levels keep dropping, Saint John says it’ll put emergency plan into effectThe City of Saint John is asking residents to voluntarily conserve water before levels drop to emergency levels. The city has already stopped all non-essential water use, including closing splash pads and no more routine washing of municipal vehicles and equipment and on-critical hydrant flushing.Mason also said industrial customers are pitching in. For now, the Irving Pulp & Paper mill is getting all of its water from Spruce Lake on the west side.”They’ve considerably helped in their efforts,” Mason said. “I was impressed with what they were willing to do and how quickly, so I’m hoping the citizens respond in a similar manner.” Dean Price, the manager of source water protection with Saint John Water, says the level is down about a metre from where it should be. (Mark Leger/CBC)Despite these efforts to reduce water use with city services and industry, the level dropped nearly half a metre (400 millimetres) in August, so Mason said the city decided to include the general public.”What we’re asking is no more washing cars, no more watering lawns,” Mason said. “And taking quicker showers. If you’re washing your dishes, minimize the amount of water you use. If you have a leaky toilet or a leaky water service going into your house, anything that you can do to minimize your water usage would be greatly appreciated.”If these measures don’t work and the water levels keep dropping, Saint John Water has an emergency plan to pump water through a narrow, shallow stretch under a bridge into the lakes that connect with the water treatment plant. Kendall Mason, the director of Saint John Water, says Saint John Water has an emergency plan if conservation efforts don’t work and the water level continues to drop. (Mark Leger/CBC)But Mason said they hope it doesn’t come to that.”Right now, we have city staff, consultants, contractors, suppliers and regulatory officials working with us to execute the plan of emergency pumping if that’s required,” Mason said.”But today, the big ask from citizens is please do your part. … We’re working hard on the city side to reduce water use, and now we’re hoping [residents] can help us protect our watershed and ensure water is available for everyone in the coming months.”Other communities in the province are also facing water shortages and asking residents to reduce their personal consumption, including Hanwell and St. Stephen. ABOUT THE AUTHORMark Leger is a reporter and producer based in Saint John. Send him story ideas to: mark.leger@cbc.ca
Saint John residents asked to conserve water with lakes at a low level
