Strathmore under Stage 4 water restrictions

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Strathmore has implemented Stage 4 water restrictions in response to a water main break in Calgary.

Becoming effective Dec. 31, the restrictions prohibit outdoor water use such as flooding outdoor ice surfaces, however, indoor facilities such as pools, ice rinks, and recreation facilities are remaining open. 

“The Town of Strathmore gets its water directly from Calgary. We are customers of the water supply from Calgary and there is a below-ground water line that delivers water directly from Calgary to us,” said Mayor Pat Fule.

“The basic history of it is that in the eighties and nineties, we had our own water reservoir that was fed from the Western Irrigation District (WID) canal and we had our own water treatment plant … Strathmore had run into a situation where it was having a problem facing future growth because the reservoir and treatment plant weren’t big enough and the treatment plant wasn’t as advanced as it needed to be.”

The current water infrastructure in town allows for several days of water to be stored in case of shortage or emergency and is currently being discussed amongst council to be expanded upon. 

The town has refrained from tapping into aquifers and treating its own water due to cost concerns associated with establishing such infrastructure. This would have to be downloaded onto local taxpayers, increasing local taxes beyond what council is comfortable doing. 

Under the Stage 4 restrictions, the town is asking residents to consider several steps to limit their household water consumption.

These actions include limiting showers to under three minutes, flushing toilets only when necessary, and running dishwashers only when full.

Fule added there is currently no exact estimate on how long the town will be subject to the ongoing water use restrictions. 

“People might want to watch their local news … they might also want to check the City of Calgary website. Our administration and staff does hear from the City of Calgary, but I would be really reticent as far as making a prediction or saying when they hope that it will be fixed,” he said. “My hope is that they were prepared and that this time, they have all the equipment ready, they have got materials ready and they have, from what I understand, identified where the break happened.”

Expenses that the Town of Strathmore must expend in order to maintain services, emergency shelters, or extra work that must be completed is to be monitored and reimbursed by the City of Calgary and the Province of Alberta.