August 20, 2008 Vol. 34 No. 3

Heat wave results soaks up Town’s water reserves

By Don Patterson
Staff Reporter

Okotoks residents have been told to turn off the taps outside and limit water use after levels in the town’s water reservoirs dropped last week.
An outdoor watering ban was put in place on the evening of Aug. 14 after recent hot, dry weather, coupled with a high demand for water, taxed Okotoks’ supply to its limits.
“It became apparent into the 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. irrigation schedule (on Aug. 14) we were drawing two-and-a-half to three times our normal watering schedule,” Okotoks operations manager Dave Robertson told town council at its Aug. 18 meeting.
He said the ban was necessary to preserve water levels required to fight a fire.
The ban covers all outdoor watering of lawns and gardens as well as washing of homes, vehicles and sidewalks. The maximum fine for breaching the ban is $2,500.
Residents were also asked to conserve water by limiting the use of dishwashers, washing machines and by taking shorter showers.
Robertson said the ban could be lifted later this week as reservoirs are replenished. In the meantime, he said it will require vigilance and higher enforcement on the part of the Town to ensure the ban is being observed.
The ban was implemented after available water levels in the Town’s reservoir declined for more than a week.
According to data provided by the Town, water use typically peaks during morning and evening watering periods on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Robertson said the Town is usually able to recoups its water supplies on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The town’s available water supply had been steadily decreasing since Aug. 5 when it had about 2.75 million imperial gallons available. High water use drove levels down by nearly 1.5 million imperial gallons two days later. However, as temperatures and demand rose on the weekend of Aug. 8-9, reservoir levels were not able to rebound before water use spiked once again on Aug. 14 when under 500,000 imperial gallons were available.
Consumption rose to more than 11,000 cubic meters per day on Wednesday, Aug. 13 and peaked at more than 12,000 cubic meters per day on Aug. 14. That day, the town first issued a request that people voluntarily reduce their water usage before issuing the ban in the evening.
Ed Spohr, Epcore site manager for Okotoks operations, said water levels are returning to normal.
“We are seeing, since the watering ban was put in place, a constant recovery,” he said.
Davey Robertson, lead hand at the Okotoks Epcor operations, said rain would help because it would reduce the amount of water people would use on their lawns.
“It has become a demand versus supply issue,” he said Davey Robertson. “If Mother Nature could come out and help us out, it would be great.”
The Town stopped all irrigation in Town parks, however, it has a supply of nonpotable water that was used by street sweepers over the weekend and was available for other watering operations. This water is derived from processes to back wash the filters in the water treatment plant and does not come from the drinking water system. However, by the end of the weekend, even this supply of water was starting to get low.
Coun. Naydene Lewis expressed concern over the ban and the sudden drop in reservoir levels.
“This whole water issue is very disturbing,” she said. “There is a major crisis going on in this town and it needs to be dealt with yesterday.”
She said the issue needs to be resolved so the public sees results and asked what the Town has planned to ensure it will be able to meet its water needs when Okotoks reaches its population cap.
Robertson pointed out the Town is accelerating plans for two new wells, to augment the existing nine that currently provide water for the Town. Work on a 10th well is underway and an 11th is expected to be completed in the spring. The additional water will increase water production by 10 per cent, which is expected to be enough to cover the 30 per cent increase in demand over the summer months.
Once the watering ban is lifted, the regular watering schedule will be back in affect. Those with odd numbered addresses can water on Thursdays and/or Sundays, while people with even numbers may water on Wednesdays or Saturdays. Watering can only be done from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. or 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Flowerbeds and vegetable gardens may be watered by hand at any time using a watering can or hose with a trigger spray nozzle.
Alyssa Berry, Okotoks communications specialist, said the best time of day to water is either in the morning or the evening andthat a lawn only needs an inch of water a week. She said this equates to the amount that would fill a Frisbee turned upside down next to a sprinkler.
“You don’t need any more than that, especially on established lawns,” Berry added.
As the fall moves closer, she said people will see their grass start to fade to brown and won’t have to water it as much.