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STANFORD – Thanks to several days of rain recently, the state of emergency that was called amid a water shortage has been canceled. 

Stanford Mayor Dalton Miller said Tuesday that lake levels were up and the crisis has been averted for now. 

Lincoln County is still in need of some additional rainfall, he said, which is why the city and county is asking residents to continue to voluntarily conserve water as much as possible. 

There are several ways to conserve water including: 

• fix any leaks promptly
• turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth 
• limit showers to five minutes or less
• limit excess toilet flushes
• do fewer loads of laundry per week
• use a dishwasher
• restrict the washing of automobiles. 

The state of emergency was declared on Dec. 27, 2023 when the city’s three water reservoirs including Rice Lake, Harris Lake and Buck Creek Lake were all critically low due to very little rainfall in November and December. 

Now that the area has received some significant rainfall, Miller said the city can lift the state of emergency. 

“We’re just doing a voluntary advisory now,” he said. “We’re not out of the woods until we get the rest of these spring rains in April.”