St. Albert pauses non-essential municipal water use, no measures anticipated for Edmonton

The City of St. Albert has announced it is enacting "water demand management measure B," effective immediately and has discontinued non-essential use of potable water for municipal operations.

"Water demand management measure B is typically enacted when reservoirs are forecast to be below 30 per cent of available volume," the city's website says.

"What we're seeing in the next couple of days, there's no rain that's expected. So our reservoir levels are continuing to drop. And through the summer period, water demand is about double what it is in the wintertime," said Regan Lefebvre of the City of St. Albert.

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Pool filling, park watering, firefighter training, washing city fleet vehicles, hydrant flushing, non-emergency sewer flushing, street sweeping and dust abatement have all been paused as a result of the measure. Versailles Park Splash Pad will also be closed.

The city is asking businesses that use large volumes of water to limit use, and is asking residents to help conserve water by doing the following:

• Use water from rain barrels until they are empty, before using municipal water for outdoor watering.
• Reduce water use, particularly during peak demand periods: 6 to 9 a.m. and 6 to 9 p.m.
• Turn the water off while brushing your teeth.
• Make sure that washing machines and dishwashers are full before using.
• Suspend filling jacuzzis or hot tubs.
• Ensure you have a pitcher of water in the refrigerator for drinking, so you won’t have to let the water run to get cold water.
• Clean your sidewalks and driveways with a broom or brush, rather than a hose.
• Suspend washing vehicles and watering your lawn.

"It's voluntary right now and we're trying to avoid the mandatory restriction. So I mean, it's up to each individual person how seriously they want to take it, but this is an effort to try to avoid the mandatory restrictions," Lefebvre said.

He added the city is relying on a forecast of rain on Wednesday.

"If we don't get some cooperation from the weather on Wednesday like is projected, we could be looking at more severe water restrictions going into the weekend. If we do get the weather to cooperate, then we could be looking to lift before the end of the week."

In Edmonton, Epcor says it is not calling for any demand management protocols to be enacted, but is asking residents to reduce water usage between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. as a result of the heat.

"While we have lots of water, we are seeing some challenges in moving the water around the city during the peak demand hours between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.," Epcor spokesperson Laura Ehrkamp said in an email to CTV News Edmonton on Monday morning. "This could result in some water pressure issues for homes and businesses. We are not anticipating any other measures to be implemented at this time."

Epcor suggests similar water limiting measures as listed above to help reduce usage.