Some measure of relief Friday for those affected by the water shortage in southwest Nova Scotia, as bottled water deliveries began to arrive.

The bottles will be given out Wednesday evening at the Shelburne Fire Department, where many are collecting water.

“The situation is quite desperate for many people,” says Shelburne Mayor Karen Mattatal.

As waterways and wells dry up, people are helping one another out. Families who have water are letting neighbours use their showers.

Heather Strang lives in Shelburne and works in Barrington, among the hardest-hit communities. She’s taking enough water home to flush toilets and wash up for a couple of days.

“We shut everything like the toilet off, the hot water tank, we shut that off probably about two weeks ago, the end of August,” says Strang.

Four provincial parks in the area are now offering showers and drinking water to people whose wells have run dry.

Mattatal says the municipal water supply is holding its own and should be able to continue supplying everyone, but they’re asking people on that supply to conserve water in the coming days.

“Only about a quarter of our town is served by public water, so that means most people in the town get their water from a well,” Mattatal says.

Other communities are not faring as well as a result of the area’s longest dry spell in almost 90 years.

As municipal reservoirs continue to dwindle, people in the Windsor area who have been relying on the town utility to fill their wells will now need to fill up at Hantsport.

“I’ve been in the business 46 years, I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” says Wayne Leary, owner of a water delivery business in Windsor.

The town of Windsor says water conservation is now mandatory.

“Every year some people experience dry wells, this year is beyond comprehension,” adds Mattatal.

A harsh reminder that the most basic of resources can dry up, as hot and dry conditions continue.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Sarah Ritchie.