Residents who faced an outdoor water ban in two Foothills communities will now get some relief.
The Towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley are downgrading the Level 3 water restrictions implemented on Aug. 4, which eliminated all outdoor and non-essential water use.
Level 2 watering restrictions take effect Aug. 23 at 9 a.m., allowing for limited outdoor water use.
The Level 3 restriction was last implemented after the 2013 flood, when the Black Diamond water treatment plant and several wells were destroyed, and remained in place for more than a year.
Barry Williamson, Turner Valley CAO and acting CEO for the Sheep River Regional Utility Corporation (SRRUC) said the compliance of residents and merchants this month allowed them to relax the restrictions.
“The behaviour of both communities is such that it’s making a big contribution,” said Williamson. “It’s becoming more consistent that we’re adding (to the reservoir) each day.
“We would get a few days of positive contribution and usually on the weekend for one day instead of adding to the reservoir we are taking out of it. Last week looked better than every other week in terms of contribution.”
The water level in the raw water reservoir had dropped to almost 70 per cent by the first week of August, but since the restrictions were implemented it recovered to almost 80 per cent, said Williamson.
“I’ve been monitoring this day by day,” he said. “We were able to put a couple hundred cubic metres per day into the reservoir.”
The Level 2 restriction requires a mandatory conservation water schedule on Thursdays and Sundays for residences and businesses with addresses ending in odd numbers and Wednesdays and Saturdays for those ending in even numbers.
Watering is only allowed from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and includes watering lawns, planters and gardens, washing vehicles, sidewalks, driveways, building exteriors, filling hot tubs and recreation use.
Williamson said the Towns fielded complaints from residents about the restricted water use, as well as reports about some people not abiding by it.
In some cases, he said water was used from rain barrels and waste water.
SRRUC has set a trigger point at 70 per cent capacity in the raw water reservoir to implement the Level 3 restrictions because only 65 per cent of the towns’ water supply has been recovered since the 2013 flood, Williamson said.
SRRUC continues to work on locating water sources to replenish the raw water reservoir. The corporation is awaiting approval from Alberta Environment to pump approximately 6,500 cubic metres of water per day out of the Sheep River.
In addition, new wells have flow restrictions placed on them by Alberta Environment, said Williamson.
Due to the low level of the Sheep River, the restrictions prevent one of the Towns’ wells from being used at full capacity, he said.
The continued hot weather contributes to some water loss, mainly due to evaporation and the inability to take large amounts of water from newer wells, yet consumption was the biggest cause of the low reservoir level, Williamson said.
Therefore, community participation in following the restrictions and continuing water conservation efforts is important, he said.
“Let’s continue our conservation practices,” he said. “We don’t want to have to revert back to this.”
Fire bans remain in effect in both Black Diamond and Turner Valley.
