Drought conditions have eased in the Okotoks area, but responsible water use is being urged heading into the summer months.
Water manager Davey Robertson said the Town has been monitoring conditions, and according to the Government of Canada, the Okotoks area is no longer considered to be in a drought.
“We’ve seen a pretty good uptick in precipitation,” Robertson said.
In addition to a good amount of rain in the spring and early summer, mountain snowpack was average or above average for the period, he said.
Due to those conditions, flows on the Sheep River should be normal going into July, which he said is a stark contrast from this time last year.
“We lost that snowpack approximately a month earlier than what we saw this year,” he said. “Where we stand today, we’re in pretty good shape from a water supply perspective.”
Information from the Town’s latest drought management monthly update shows reservoirs are at normal levels and water production capacity is between 11 and 12 megalitres per day, with demand at around eight to 10 megalitres per day.
“As it stands, we're in Stage 1 of our water conservation schedule, which is really business as usual for our community in terms of implementing good water conservation practices,” Robertson said.
However, a prolonged period of low rainfall and high temperatures could change things going into the middle of summer.
“If that happens for an extended period, we would potentially see our river levels drop," he added.
To monitor the Town's water supply, monthly updates during council meetings in Okotoks will continue until the fall, he said.
Although drought conditions have been declared over in the Calgary region, Alberta remains in Stage 4 of its water shortage management plan.
