A lack of rain coupled with dry hot conditions and the alarmingly low level of water in the Ottawa River and Lake of Two Mountains have lead some towns to take protective measures. In Vaudreuil-Dorion, the Town enacted a total ban on all outdoor watering this week. The ban, put into effect on July 10 and covered under section 8.1 of regulation # 1623, will remain in effect until further notice, according to the Town. Residents served by city water are prohibited from watering flowers, gardens and shrubs unless doing so with a watering can. The Town says residents cannot water lawns with sprinklers or mechanical systems, cannot wash cars or hold car washes and they cannot fill swimming pools. Using water for decorative fountains and waterfalls is also strictly prohibited.
The Town has plans to install a second water pipe in the Lake of Two Mountains later this year. The move is expected to ease future water shortages when lake levels are low.
No fires in Saint-Lazare
Meanwhile, the Town of Saint-Lazare has issued a total ban on open-air fires, including recreational fires lit in fire pits not equipped with fireguards. The ban, in effect until further notice, was issued after the province’s forest fire protection agency indicated there is an extreme risk for fires in a large part of southern Quebec, including Vaudreuil-Soulanges. The Saint-Lazare ban includes: any open fires that burn freely; the use of all fireworks; the use of tools or instruments producing sparks, such as welding tools. And though people with fire pits that do have fireguards are allowed to have fires, the town’s fire department recommends avoiding them until the risk has passed.
For information, contact Martin Tanguay, Saint-Lazare’s fire prevention captain, at 450 424-8000, ext. 207, or by email at mtanguay@ville.saint-lazare.qc.ca.
