MORRISON, Colo. -- An advisory from the Health Department not to drink the water in Morrison is the latest impact from Colorado's historic drought.

Residents in Morrison who are receiving water from the city's water system were told Tuesday afternoon that they will need to turn to bottled water for their drinking and cooking needs.

The current drought has water levels in Bear Creek so low that mostly wastewater discharges are flowing into the town's water treatment plant, officials said. That increases the chance of contamination in the water that comes out the other end, and makes it unsuitable for human consumption.

Although there have been no health complaints, Morrison town officials decided to be safe rather than sorry.

"This is the kind of proactive approach because we believe that the plant will be challenged, and cysts and other pathogens could possibly pass through. Therefore, we don't want people drinking the water," said Glenn Bodnar of the Colorado Department of Public Health.

One gas station in Morrison had extra water on hand in preparation for big crowds at the Bandimere Speedway this weekend, but managers said that they don't know if they will have enough bottled water for both residents and the expected crowd.

Residents should also use bottled water to make ice and preparing food but can continue to shower, wash clothes and wash dishes using water from the tap.

If washing dishes by hand, residents should do the final rinse using only hot water and be sure that dishes are completely dry before using them again, officials said.

Residents were told not to boil water because of the possibility of contracting potential chemical contaminants. Boiling, freezing, filtering or letting water stand does not reduce the chemical contaminant level, officials said.

Morrison residents should also use bottled water to make ice and preparing food. Residents can continue to shower, wash clothes and wash dishes using water from the tap.

The advisory will remain in effect until Morrison gets some significant rainfall, but there's not much of that in the near future, meteorologists said.