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Residents urged to save water

Despite above-seasonal temperatures and below-seasonal moisture, Okotoks is in a healthy water situation for the time being. The Town’s outdoor watering schedule is in effect again this year to help manage water levels.

Despite above-seasonal temperatures and below-seasonal moisture, Okotoks is in a healthy water situation for the time being.

The Town’s outdoor watering schedule is in effect again this year to help manage water levels. Those living at odd-numbered addresses can water on Thursdays and Sundays, and even-numbered addresses on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Watering is limited to between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., and between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Infrastructure and operations director Dave Robertson said Fridays and Tuesdays are water-free days to allow the town’s reservoirs to recover from busy days and replenish their supply.

“We’re managing blocks of water,” said Robertson. “We know what kind of demand to expect, especially during warm weather. It’s important people stick to the watering schedule.”

He said that will be particularly important this year, with the warm dry spring Okotoks has experienced. The growing season and snow pack runoff are about one month ahead of a typical year, he said.

An early growing season means an earlier-than-usual irrigation schedule for the municipality. According to Okotoks parks manager Christa Michailuck, both sports field turf and tree watering has commenced four to six weeks early.

“With no rain, we’ve had irrigation up and running earlier than I can ever remember,” said Michailuck. “It’s a bit concerning for how the rest of the summer will pan out.”

Robertson said the Town has plans of action in place should the summer bring threat of a drought.

The snow pack has already diminished by half and rivers in the region are expected to remain fairly steady through the next few weeks, he said. Currently at 6.5 cubic metres per second, the Sheep River is at an 85-year low, he said.

“The more water that’s in the river, the better situation we’re in as a town,” said Robertson. “When we slump low, we have to start cutting back on our wells.”

Under the Town’s water licenses, half the municipality’s wells are subject to being cut back by the province if the Sheep River dips below a certain level, he said.

In that case, he said the Town operates solely from its senior wells, which provide adequate service for regular needs of the town. In a drought situation, however, certain measures may have to be taken to ensure the water supply doesn’t dip dangerously low. That begins by not watering sports fields and parks.

“We’d cut off our own irrigation first,” said Robertson. “If it gets beyond that, then we’d cut back watering from two days per week to one, and if it becomes severe then we’d cut off all outdoor watering.”

The last time the Town of Okotoks fully restricted outdoor water use was in 2002, he said.

“Our wells couldn’t keep up,” said Robertson.

Though there is concern about water levels if the summer continues to be hot and dry, he said residents need not worry about flooding.

The snow pack is already half melted, he said, and between mid-May and mid-June the remainder of the snow will drop off but shouldn’t pose a threat.

“That’s typically the flood season, but there’s not enough snow this year unless a significant amount of rain comes with it,” said Robertson.

When the Sheep River rises to its banks, the flow rate is 300 cubic metres per second, he said.

“Right now the river is about 6.5, so we’re tremendously a long way from that,” said Robertson.

He said in typical flood years, the biggest issue is rain settling into the foothills for a number of days, adding to the water flow out of the mountains. With no significant precipitation expected in the coming weeks, he said the risk level is low.

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