Beyond the fires that ravaged and threatened communities throughout the province this summer, some municipalities have also had to grapple with drought conditions that dried up reservoirs and ponds used as water sources.

And that’s come at an added cost to municipalities.

The President of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, Amy Coady, says towns and LSDs across the province have been doing the best they can when encountering low water levels by asking residents to conserve water.

However, Coady says many municipalities have been forced to look at alternate water supplies, which requires added infrastructure.

“And of course that comes with greater infrastructure costs as well, to maintain existing infrastructure and of course to build new infrastructure to access alternate water supplies.”