Medicine Hat looks to reduce city water usage by 10% heading into summer

By Collin Gallant on April 20, 2024.

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The city will strive to reduce local water use by 10 per cent this summer by altering operations at city facilities and also asking residents to pitch in.

Should an expected dry summer limit access to water, efforts at city departments would ramp up, and restrictions on things like water lawns could increase.

Medicine Hat dedicated to the 10 per cent goal in water sharing agreements outlined by the province on Friday, making the goals mandatory for city operations.

Local plans developed since low-river levels last summer, show that watering will be scaled back at parks, city campgrounds and cemeteries, spray park hours will be reduced and aesthetic fountains, like under the clock at city hall, will not be turned at all this year.

“Employing an ‘every drop counts’ mindset will help the city demonstrate our water conservation commitment,” said Jamie Garland, the head of the environmental utilities department.

“Achieving a community-wide reduction in water use will help minimize the chance of having to advance to elevated phases of the Water Shortage Management Plan, which all come with mandatory water restrictions (for the public).”

There is no immediate threat to water supply, but administrators said that the South Saskatchewan River fell to near record lows in mid-2023, and dry conditions over the winter are expected to continue.

The city has also posted water-saving tips on its website.

Also in the Oldman River agreement with the Hat are the City of Lethbridge and Lethbridge County along with the Northern Irrigation District, near Lethbridge.

All three municipalities have agreed to the 10 per cent goal, with remaining flow

The partners agree to not impose their priority licenses, thereby opening the potential for better distribution.

A similar agreement in the Bow River system includes the City of Calgary, some industrial users, and the Eastern, Western and Bow River irrigation districts, which would share the resulting savings.

The St. Mary’s River Irrigation District is not listed among 38 large water license holders that entered into voluntary agreements, but announced this year a steep reduction in its allotment to members.

At council committee this week, city utility officials outlined that water drawn from the potable water plant triples in the May to October period, but the amount coming back in the sewer system for treatment remains fairly constant.

That shows almost all of the increase is used for irrigation at residences, the city’s park department and a small amount of farmland.

A four stage system outlines reductions in the city’s water use at parks and rec facilities by 25 per cent blocks depending on the severity of water supply shortage.

Park land would be limited to alternate-day watering at first, then for shorter periods, and then just twice weekly, and not at all at the highest alert level.

Those mimic an increasing set of restrictions that would be placed on residents.

The city has been at Phase 1 since last summer and will remain there into the spring.

It calls for voluntary residential reductions, like opposite day sprinkler use, checking for leaking fixtures and using clothes and dishwashers at full capacity.

Phase 2 would make odd-even address watering mandatory and limited to 30 minutes per day.

Phase 3 would reduce that to two days per week without a sprinkler for no more that half an hour, halt on-street car washing, and filling outdoor ponds

Phase 4, which would be implemented should the river fall to a record low for two consecutive weeks, would prohibit all “non-essential” outdoor water use by the public and shut down all watering at

Emergency officials told the News this winter that departments beyond are implementing water reduction strategies. In case of severe shortage or failure of the treatment system, water would be prioritized for domestic use, firefighting capacity and operations of the city’s steam-turbine power plant.

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