A second consecutive dry summer has prompted the Pembina Valley Water Co-op (PVWC) to forge ahead with its drought plan.

The regional water utility started work on that project last month with the assistance of Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization (EMO).

"We also have a sub-group of our member municipalities, about seven of them, to work on a draft plan that we would bring back to all the municipalities," said Greg Archibald, CEO for the Water Co-op. "The hope is that we will be able to develop an EMO drought response plan for all 14 member municipalities and the Water Coop."

PVWC has hired Winnipeg based Landmark Planning to help coordinate the project.

"There's a fair amount of effort involved in working with seven municipalities and then 14 municipalities in total, and then attempt to try and get everyone to agree with it. We intend to work through this and are hopeful of getting it done by the end of the year," said Archibald.

The municipalities involved in the first phase of this project will be some of the Co-op's larger users of water. They include Winkler, Morden, Altona, Carman, RM of Stanley, RM of Morris and Municipality of Rhineland.

The move follows on the heels of the PVWC's five year capital works program it released earlier this year aimed at improving the Coop's ability to distribute water to its customers throughout its network of pipelines and reduce the impact of a drought situation. The utility owns and operates water plants at Morris, Letellier and Stephenfield.

"We've begun to do some engineering and look for some funding to do some capital project work over the next five years that will also help in mitigating the effects of a drought by better moving water around between our treatment plants."

A couple of the priority projects in that capital plan involves the installation of a 14-inch pipeline from the Morris water treatment plant to St. Jean at an estimated cost of $1.8 million, and an expansion of the reservoir at the Letellier plant which comes with a price tag of $5 million.

"We've been talking to our bankers and they'll help us. We also intend to apply for government funding as well, so we'll see where it goes from there."