![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PXL_20250810_154428368-scaled.jpg\")
At the Medium Potable Water Fill Station, located at the A.L. Dafoe Water Purification Plant in Napanee, a man fills his 4.5 cubic metre (1,000 gallon) tank with water. Photo by Michelle Dorey Forestell\/Kingstonist.<\/p>\nAt the Medium Potable Water Fill Station, located at the A.L. Dafoe Water Purification Plant in Napanee, a man fills his 4.5 cubic metre (1,000 gallon) tank with water. Photo by Michelle Dorey Forestell\/Kingstonist.<\/p>\n
There are many positives about rural living, but being closer to Mother Nature also means being more reliant on her. Drought conditions this summer have meant more than just brown spots on the lawn to rural residents of eastern Ontario, where getting water is often not as simple as just turning on the tap.<\/p>\n
The ongoing drought in eastern Ontario is significantly impacting farmers, leading to crop damage, reduced yields, and potential financial losses. Farmers are struggling with heat stress on crops, a lack of sufficient rainfall for proper growth, and an increased workload due to irrigation efforts. Some farmers are even forced to let crops die due to the severity of the conditions. Similarly, hobby farmers, gardeners, and even families who depend on wells for water are struggling day to day with the challenge of the drought.<\/p>\n
According to Agriculture Canada<\/a>, in July, eastern Ontario faced some of the driest conditions in central Canada. Many areas saw less than 40 per cent of their normal July rainfall, causing drought zones to spread and new dry pockets to form. The hot, dry months have stressed crops and left more than a third of the region\u2019s farmland in drought conditions.\u00a0According to Canada Weather Stats<\/a>, July 2025 only saw 18.7 mm of rain accumulation.<\/p>\n Contrast this with The Weather Network\u2019s historical monthly averages report<\/a>, which collates data for the last 25 years. Historically, July in the Kingston area averages 12 days of precipitation with 72.2 millimetres of rain accumulation, and August averages 10 days of precipitation with 57 millimetres of rain.<\/p>\n According to Brian Windover of Bayview Farms, the drought is already taking a toll on his family-run farm located on the shores of Hay Bay, a mixed farming operation consisting of hay, beef, soy beans, and wheat.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s bad,\u201d Windover told Kingstonist. \u201cOur soybeans will be almost a total failure.\u201d<\/p>\n The beans, planted on shallow ground, have turned grey and will not even produce any crop to harvest, he said.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, Windover doesn\u2019t have crop insurance, so this will be a total loss to the farm. He explained that the choice not to have crop insurance is a decision they\u2019ve made based on diversification of their products, \u201cand we have to live with that decision\u2026 One crop doesn\u2019t ruin us, but it will hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n As for the cattle, he said they are now feeding the herd, on average, 16 bales of hay per week, \u201cmonths ahead of when we would normally start feeding hay.\u201d The ponds used to water the livestock are also a concern, as water levels are dropping rapidly.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are working on a plan to harvest corn from a neighbouring crop farmer as silage for our cattle,\u201d Windover said, because \u201cour corn will only provide about 30 per cent of the silage it would normally produce, and secondly we are concerned we will completely deplete our hay stocks as we\u2019ve had to start feeding hay so early.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe neighbour\u2019s corn will not produce much grain, but we chop up the entire plant. So we\u2019re trying to find ways to add extra feed to our winter stockpile to ensure we make it to next spring.\u201d<\/p>\n Urban dwellers might not appreciate how the drought impacts every aspect of life in the country, not just on farms. Many rural homes get their water from in-ground wells on their property. When the well goes dry, that spells trouble: no water for cooking and drinking, no showers, no laundry, and no flushing toilets.<\/p>\n The Medium Potable Water Fill Station at the A.L. Dafoe Water Purification Plant in Napanee is constantly encircled by residents with water tanks on trailers and in trucks. This fill station is intended for filling containers smaller than\u00a04.5 cubic metres (1,000 gallons). The cost for this service is $2 for 1,000 litres (220 gallons). Users must supply a hose and fittings, which are necessary to connect to the station.<\/p>\n Sometimes the wait for water is hours long.<\/p>\n Usually, the hours of operation are from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., but this week, the town of Napanee has had to increase the hours at the station to keep rural residents afloat. A spokesperson for the Town said, \u201cWe recognize that there is an increased demand for water during this extended dry period and believe that making the Medium Fill Station available 24\/7 will better support users\u2019 needs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Ariel Paterson has a hobby farm outside of Napanee where she lives with her family of four, along with horses, ponies, goats, and chickens.\u00a0She said she is \u201cvery grateful to have the fill station. as we use it every year for our livestock to conserve our well, but this is probably the worst drought we\u2019ve experienced living here in Napanee.\u201d<\/p>\n She shared that their well has been dry for weeks now: \u201cI\u2019ve never seen lineups like there are currently at the water fill station, waiting on average an hour or more \u2014 so we have to schedule our days around getting water.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe go to the water fill station three times a week just to fill up water troughs for the animals, and usually we do two trips, one for the troughs and one for our well so we can bathe and do laundry.\u00a0We haven\u2019t been watering any plants or using any extra water due to the drought,\u201d Paterson said.<\/p>\n \u201cOn top of having no water, the drought has affected how she feeds her horses. \u201cI can\u2019t put them out on pasture; it\u2019s all gone dormant. So I am feeding twice as much hay. Not only that, but the drought has diminished her overall yield of hay. \u201cSo I have to purchase about 75 per cent of my hay for the year, and I am going through way more than I usually do this time of year. I typically feed about 50 per cent pasture and 50 per cent hay in the dry months, but it\u2019s been 100 per cent hay this year,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n Nicole Dombrowski, like many, grows an extensive vegetable garden for her family\u2019s needs and cans and preserves food to use throughout the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy vegetable garden is officially dead. We can\u2019t water as much as it needs, especially in this heat. So, no canning for me this year unless I purchase from someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n Tracey Toth, too, has significantly reduced water use and laments the loss of her garden.<\/p>\n \u201cMy flower beds are done. Couldn\u2019t water them, so they have dried out. I\u2019ve started to remove my veggie garden, as the plants aren\u2019t thriving with the intense heat. I can\u2019t risk our well water to keep it going. Very sad for my freezer and preserves,\u201d said Toth.<\/p>\n She noted that she is keeping a bird bath up and small water dishes for wildlife, as water sources have gone dry around the area.<\/p>\n \u201cThis summer\u2019s drought in Napanee has been the first time in 10 years that I have had to water my fruit trees,\u201d Landon Savell shared. \u201cEach tree has received about five gallons of water a week just to keep it alive. Because of the drought and to conserve water, I am expecting a small harvest of smaller fruit this year.\u201d<\/p>\n On top of dry wells, wildfire is a genuine concern. Savell has kept up weekly watering of his lawn out of fear of a grass fire.<\/p>\n Amanda Dowdall of Count Your Blessings Farm in Napanee shared with Kingstonist that a fire started on her property when a stack of winter straw bedding spontaneously combusted due to the drought.<\/p>\n \u201cThankfully, we store our combustibles like hay and straw away from structures and each other, so no further damage was done,\u201d Dowdall said, noting that the prolonged heat and lack of consistent precipitation can be highly detrimental to farmers.<\/p>\n \u201cCity folk take water for granted, as I did when I grew up on Kingston\u2019s south side,\u201d said Stuart Dyer, who has lived in Odessa beside Mud Lake for 30 years. \u201cIn the past, my well has watered gardens and six cows; this is the first time I have had to seriously conserve water.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy garden and grounds are parched. The woods around me are tinderboxes. I am not sure some trees will recover,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n On June 10, 2025, Dyer contacted the mayor to put a burn ban in place because of the extreme dryness.<\/p>\n \u201cHe forwarded my request to the fire chief. On August 2, I contacted both the mayor and the fire chief again. The next day, a partial burn ban<\/a> was announced,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/NapaneeWaterFillingStation-MDF-Edited.jpg\")
The line for water stretches around the A.L. Dafoe Water Purification Plant in Napanee. The Medium Potable Water Fill Station at this location, which is intended for filling containers smaller than\u00a0 4.5 cubic metres (1,000 gallons), has been constantly encircled by residents with water tanks on trailers and in trucks, sometimes waiting over an hour for water. Photo by Michelle Dorey Forestell\/Kingstonist.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/530495417_10163534786697288_5513166611851527248_n.jpg\")
A stack of straw bales goes up in flames at Count Your Blessings farm. Photo submitted.<\/p>\n
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A patch of intentionally planned native plants suffers due to the hot, dry conditions. Photo by Michelle Dorey Forestell\/Kingstonist.<\/p>\n