Water conservation efforts paid off for the Town of Okotoks this summer.
Measures to conserve water in Okotoks include a four-stage outdoor watering schedule that automatically kicks in on May 1 and ends on Oct. 31. Each stage becomes increasingly cautious, depending on river and reservoir levels.
Davey Robertson, water services manager for the Town of Okotoks, said the positive response to Stage 1 and Stage 2 conservation efforts this summer helped keep reservoir levels stable.
“The community really stepped up in a big way, and we're thankful for that response,” Robertson said.
Okotoks moved to Stage 2 early in June, which calls for “careful use." It keeps the same watering schedule as Stage 1, with the addition of increased communication from the Town about water conservation.
Robertson said that led to a 40 per cent reduction in water usage, at times, over the summer.
“What that does, is it helps us manage peak periods and peak demands, and helps us kind of smooth out those peaks.”
It also helped prevent a need to shift to higher stages, he said.
Stage 3 would ban outdoor watering on weekends, while Stage 4 would be a complete ban on watering lawns.
Water demands in Okotoks are back to what is considered normal winter usage, Robertson said.
In the winter, usage can peak at about 5,000 to 7,000 cubic metres per day, compared to 12,000 to 13,000 cubic metres per day in the summer with the outdoor watering schedule in place.
When Stage 2 was implemented, peak water usage fell by 2,000 to 3,000 cubic metres on peak days.
Peak water usage typically occurs on weekends, Robertson said.
The Town does not anticipate any challenges with water supply this winter and keeps an eye on snow accumulations, but Robertson said the outlook for next summer calls for similar conditions to this year.
“We're kind of in this drought sort of cycle right now, with river flows running below average for this time of year.”
Under all stages of water conservation measures, hand watering of flowers, vegetable gardens or newly planted trees or shrubs, using a container or hose, is still allowed.
