Unfortunately, this week's rainfall didn't do much to improve the situation on the declining Red River, or Pembina Valley Water Co-op's (PVWC) efforts to draw water for the region.

Flow rates continue to slow, registering at 281 cubic feet per second (cfs), according to water co-op CEO, Greg Archibald.

"That was from fifteen hundred in the middle of June, and we're down now since then by about thirty-six inches," he explained. "So, unfortunately, the rain was good and it might have helped the yards and the flowers, but it was very short lived for us."

Meantime, the Pembina Valley Water Co-op continues to face operational issues as it works to pull enough water for the area, and build up a supply for the winter. Diesel pumps and a temporary intake are sending water to the Letellier treatment plant, as the main intake remains well-above the river level. Archibald says officials are working to create a new solution. A 300 horsepower pump with a low-level intake, run on a hydro-powered generator, will be tied into the main pipeline heading into the Oxbow reservoir at Letellier.

"So the whole intent here is to try to get a solution that will pull the water we need and some extra, out of the river and allow us to potentially bridge the gap through the winter, if there's flow," he explained.

"At the same time, if we can get more to come out with the pumps we're working on...we can forward more water to other folks that may be able to help us," added Archibald.

Read more: Winkler Aquifer Could Offer Critical Relief If Drought Continues 

As well, Archibald noted the intake at the Morris treatment plant has been above the waterline for about two weeks, and continues to rise even further. As a result, he says diesel pumps and a temporary intake will likely be set up at that spot in the next week or two.

According to Archibald, member municipalities have been fairly aggressive in making sure water use reductions are happening in their individual communities. At the end of July, the PVWC requested all member municipalities to go into the Severe Restriction Stage, and cut water consumption by 15 per cent.

"We're doing okay," he said, noting some municipalities have been more aggressive in their conservation measures, including Winkler and Morden. "But everybody's got their programs in place."