Deep, artisan wells feed the water treatment facility from roughly 800 metres away.
For an unknown reason, the wells stopped feeding the facility late Saturday afternoon.
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“We’ve never had to deal with something like this before,” Deputy Mayor Lance Jacobson told the Weather Network.
If this reserve depletes, a boil advisory could go into effect.
Jacobson said crews have been looking into to find the source of the problem, adding that pumps and filters would be pulled up and inspected that day.
“We have really great employees out there working on this tirelessly trying to figure this out, and also some great volunteers from the community,” he said.
“I think we’re getting close.” The municipality ordered large quantities of bottled water on Sunday morning, and Jacobson said that a station would be set up at 7 p.m. where residents could access water in bulk.
Jacobson said the town superintendent had been communicating with experts on wells and water pump systems.
Swan River is a community of 4,000 people located about 480 km northwest of Winnipeg.