Okotokians used less water this summer compared to previous years, a report from the Town shows.
Town staff looked at summer water consumption over the past three years and presented its findings during Okotoks council's meeting on Oct. 28.
The report shows a decrease in overall water use during the outdoor watering season, from May 1 to Sept. 30, including reduced consumption on watering days and lower maximum single-day consumption.
In 2022, almost 1.5 million cubic metres of water was used during the watering season, compared to about 1.3 million cubic metres this year, the Town said.
Maximum daily water consumption, or the highest amount of water used in one day, peaked at nearly 14,000 cubic metres in 2022, but dropped to 12,000 cubic metres in 2024.
The Town pointed to several factors that played a role in lower consumption rates.
This year, the Town’s outdoor watering schedule was changed to eliminate weekend watering and reduce hours on other days of the week.
Other factors include increased communication about water conservation and an increase in leak detection within the Town’s water lines that found and repaired seven leaks over the summer.
The results show community support for efforts to conserve water and compliance with the outdoor watering schedule was much higher than in previous years, the Town said.
Okotoks stayed in Stage 1 of its five-stage watering schedule throughout the summer.
Other factors that might have led to reduced water use in Okotoks include drought warnings earlier in the year and a major water main break in Calgary that caused widespread water restrictions, but did not impact Okotoks.
