Fire officials in Ottawa are encouraging people in the city to water their lawns to help reduce the risk of fires.

A lack of rain in the region has kept Ottawa firefighters busy. In the last week alone, they have had to extinguish 34 grass and brush fires.

But some Ottawa residents have been hesitant to water their lawns for fear of wasting the water supply.

Ottawa resident Alexandre Vance's lawn looks like straw, but he's been loath to water it even though the city has not imposed a water ban.

"I feel guilty wasting water. The message from the city for so long has been be careful with your water and now it’s the opposite and it feels wrong," said Vance.

Last week the Rideau River Conservation Authority urged rural residents to cut down on water use, but the city of Ottawa said people should use water normally if they are on the central city water system, which draws about one per cent of the water out of the Ottawa River.

"The city of Ottawa's central water system is from the Ottawa river and there are currently no restrictions in place and we want residents to take steps to take care of their lawns, gardens and trees," said Desroches.

Ottawa fire services spokesman Marc Messier said crisp lawns are a fire hazard and even a little wet soil can prevent fires from spreading below ground to homes.

"We are encouraging people to water their lawns," said Messier. "Water their plants, their hedges, to help keep it somewhat green. It doesn't take a lot of water... you don't need to water a lawn for three hours, it just needs a little bit of water."