City water officials are watching relatively low river levels closely but at this point are are not concerned about local supply or operations at the water treatment plant.--News Photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Water supply to Medicine Hat households is not threatened even though the river is low, temperatures are hot and voluntary restrictions are being called for in communities upstream, city utility officials said Friday.
This week, the City of Brooks called on residents to voluntarily pull back on watering lawns to meet a goal of one-third reduction in water use. That matches a mandatory one-third reduction announced by the Eastern Irrigation District for allocations to farmland in that region. The EID also supplies water to Brooks.
“We are urging all community members to voluntarily reduce their water usage by one-third, with particular emphasis on minimizing water consumption for yard irrigation,” a release reads.
“This reduction is crucial to alleviate strain on the water system and preserve the available resources.”
City of Medicine Hat officials told a council committee this week that water levels on the South Saskatchewan are much lower than usual at this point of year, but operations are not impacted.
Boyd Mostoway, the director of Medicine Hat Water and Power, said flow was higher in the early spring and irrigation districts lowered their reservoirs as usual before expected spring melt in the mountains. That melt provided much less water than expected and is now complete, and irrigators are drawing more water to secure levels for the summer.
“It’s low, but we’ve operated lower,” Mostoway told the News on Friday. “We watch (flow) daily and determine a course of action. There’s nothing critical, but we are watching it.”
Flows on the South Saskatchewan River at Medicine Hat this week dropped below the long-term normal flow rate, and sit at one-third a normal minimum range when levels traditionally rise in mid-June.
Elsewhere in the Bow River Basin, a low flow advisory was updated for the Sheep River at Okotoks on Wednesday.
Longer-term forecasts for the Bow and Oldman River, which join to form the South Saskatchewan River, show well-below to below average flows through September.
Records set
Hot temperatures in May and very little precipitation sent water use in the city soaring as Hatters began watering lawns and gardens sooner than usual, Mostoway reported.
The water treatment plant produced a record volume and likely the fifth-most all-time in Medicine Hat when considered on a per person basis.
“The heat hit us hard and early, so there were a lot of people starting their gardens and lawns.
“It was our fifth-highest (per capita) number in 100 years of our records, and you have to go back 15 or 20 years to come close.”
