Development and infrastructure committee members sit Thursday during a meeting at city hall.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
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Thursday members of the development and infrastructure committee received an update from city staff on the municipality’s water reduction plan as Hatters continue to exceed city targets.
Currently the city is running at 14 per cent water usage reduction in August, four percentiles above the 10 per cent water reduction objective for the month.
Managing director Pat Bohan says during the summer months residential water consumption is “by far” the largest water consumer and recognized the community for continuing efforts to reduce usage.
“We are quite happy with the contribution that’s being made by the community,” said Bohan.
Local river levels remain unchanged throughout August as drought status has been lowered in much of the province.
Committee heard the South Saskatchewan River flow has increased from 64 cubic metres per second to 94. The Old Man River’s flow has decreased from 28 cubic metres per second to 24.
“They’re holding some of that water back because their dams are starting to drop quite aggressively with the amount of irrigation that’s tamping up,” explained Kim Dalton, associate director of environmental utilities. “That’s why you see the Bow River has had a lot of increase in flow and that’s why you’re seeing the river being so high.”
The Milk River and Oldman system, including the South Saskatchewan River, remained at “Stage 4” of five stages, the province announced Wednesday.
Construction
Committee received an update on several ongoing construction projects from city staff as road work at the Sixth Street SE and Division Avenue intersection is expected to be complete next week.
Managing director Bohan says the intersection should be open “at the end of the week.”
Crews have also completed paving the lower roadway between Fourth and Sixth Street SE and complete work on the sideway and pathways.
Bohan says crews were able to do a mill and overlay project at the same time they completed phase two of deep utility replacements along Altawana Drive NE.
Downtown crews are expected to complete phase four of surface and utility upgrades along Third Street SE and are moving into phase five.
“We are making good progress,” said Bohan. “It’s really impacting the business owners and the community, and if I have a message for the community it is please continue to support those businesses downtown.”
Beginning Aug. 24 traffic will be detoured away from the intersection of Dunmore Road and Spencer Street as negotiations have been made to remove the railway tracks and bridge at the bottom of the hill. This work will be completed over the weekend and will be open for traffic Monday.
The following weekend the same area will be closed to accommodate the overlay of the bridge deck over Seven Persons Creek as well as minor concrete work.
The city will also be implementing delineation lines on roads in Ranchlands in September in hopes to see a reduction in speed in the area during the summer.
By painting the white or yellow road markings slightly closer together the city can delineate the width of a road to “shepherd drivers into a smaller area that’s designed to change the view of the roadway,” explains Bohan.
Escort Bylaw
Boahn provided a brief update to members of committee on the city’s escort bylaw stating bylaw 3462 is being reviewed by staff and on track to be completed by the end of the third quarter of this year.
“I believe the litigation has been concluded and we’re just wrapping up the work with our legal team.”
