Water levels that have reached a historic low have forced Halifax Water to bring in mandatory water restrictions for residents of Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, Westphal, North Preston and Eastern Passage.

The utility says it's asking about 32,000 customers to stop watering lawns, gardens, filling pools and washing vehicles at home. People can still use water to bathe, wash clothes and clean dishes.

"We're asking folks that while we're in basically a drought situation, to conserve," said James Campbell, a spokesman for Halifax Water.

Dry weather took a toll on water supply

"All our water supplies are at historically low levels. Lake Major is at a critically low level — that's why we're having to put in these mandatory water restrictions."

Campbell said the the lake level around the dam is about 90 centimetres lower than normal.

Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, Westphal, North Preston and Eastern Passage are under mandatory water conservation restrictions due to low water levels at Lake Major. (Halifax Water)

Lake Major supplies water to Dartmouth and many of the surrounding communities. Campbell said the hot, dry summer has slowly eaten away at the water supply.

Campbell said low snowfall over the winter has also taken its toll on lakes.

"[Snow] helps recharge our lakes as well as people's wells and we had very little of that. We're kind of in the perfect lack of a storm here with no rain or really no snow over the winter," he said.

Lake water levels 'pretty shocking'

Campbell said Pockwock Lake, which serves Halifax, is still in good shape and no water restrictions are being put in place there. But he said everyone should practise at least some form of water conservation such as taking shorter showers and only washing full loads of laundry.

"We usually start to get a recharge of all our reservoirs around the middle of August, but that just hasn't happened this year. We haven't had the rainfall," he said.

"If you went to any lake around HRM you can find a general dry water mark that shows how low the lakes actually are. It's pretty shocking."

Campbell estimates it would take upwards of 150 millimetres of rain to get Lake Major back to its normal water level. He said water levels are being monitored every day.

Bridge construction adds complication

An extra complication with the water supply this year is the construction on the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge.

Normally, the bridge holds a pipeline that connects the Halifax and Dartmouth water supplies, allowing water to be moved between each area. That line has been disconnected to facilitate the Big Lift project.

Campbell said he isn't sure if having that line in place would have prevented the water restrictions in the Dartmouth area.