Council approves updated Water Rationing Action Plan

The City of Lethbridge’s updated Water Rationing Action Plan (WRAP) is ready to deploy, if necessary. Council approved a necessary amendment to the Water Bylaw to update the WRAP from the 2016 version.

The WRAP includes five stages. Each stage outlines immediate actions to reduce water usage when supply is low. The updated document also includes:

• Triggers to identify each stage. Factors include: snowpack data and the water supply forecast from Environment and Protected Areas, river flows in the Oldman River, water level in the Oldman Reservoir and consensus of the signatories to activate any water sharing Memorandum of Understanding that involves the City of Lethbridge.
• Updated reduction targets.
• Updated penalties for non-compliance.

“Our administrative teams have worked hard to prepare this updated plan,” says Joel Sanchez, Director of Infrastructure Services. “It prioritizes water resources when levels are low. This ensures we will have water for essential services like drinking, health care centres and firefighting.”

The WRAP applies to:

• City of Lethbridge residents and industrial/commercial/institutional customers.
• Regional customers.
• The City of Lethbridge.

Recent moisture and cooler temperatures have added water to southern Alberta reservoirs. Levels in the Oldman, St. Mary and Waterton reservoirs are just under the low end of normal. While this is good news, there is still a long way to go. Temperatures will rise and moisture will decrease in the coming weeks. Demand for outdoor watering and agricultural irrigation will also increase. Updated reservoir levels are included on the City’s water conservation page.

“At this time, we are not enacting the Water Rationing Action Plan. We ask that everyone continue to look for ways to voluntarily conserve water in their homes and businesses,” says Mark Svenson, Manager of Engineering and Environment. “We thank the community for continuing voluntary conservations measures. We are monitoring the situation and will respond with mandatory measures if needed.”

If the WRAP is enacted, the City will inform the community with the cause and stage of water rationing, and whether it is expected to be short term or long term. Efforts will also be made to provide advance notification.

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