The City of Ithaca says it could run out of water in 30 days and has placed restrictions how residents use it.
But the severe drought that has affected Western and Central New York hasn't even put a dent in Monroe County's water supply.
Nicholas Noce, executive director of the Monroe County Water Authority, says Lake Ontario provides an almost endless supply of water to the county’s treatment plants in Webster and Greece.
"The only thing that would happen during this time of demand, and there is an uptick in demand, is that we're more prone to main breaks due to the pressure of water leaving the plants."
There was about a 15 percent increase in demand for water in the month of July as residents were trying to hydrate their parched lawns, gardens and crops.
While there are no water restriction advisories, Noce said it would be helpful if people watered their lawns in the off-peak hours of the early morning or late evening.
The shortage of rain in recent months has had an impact on the amount of water stored in both Hemlock and Canadice Lakes, the source of water for the City of Rochester.
Patti Bedard, manger of Water Production for the City of Rochester Water Bureau, says the bureau and the staff at the Hemlock Lake Treatment Plant are carefully monitoring drought conditions.
"Low rainfall totals have caused the level of Hemlock Lake to fall two feet since June 1," Bedard said in an email. "Fortunately, the both lakes were nearly 100% full when the drought began. The net result is that the total storage available for use is at approximately 80% of capacity. This quantity of storage in the lakes allows us to continue to comfortably withdraw enough water to meet customer demands, without instituting any conservation measures."
