The Red Deer River, as seen in recent days. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

water sharing agreement in the works

Red Deer County ups fines for violating water restrictions as severe drought possibility looms

Mar 28, 2024 | 9:59 AM

The City of Red Deer and Red Deer County, along with other municipalities in the region, are inching towards a finalized Water Sharing Agreement (WSA).

Announced by the province earlier this year, the impetus for WSAs comes from the need to prepare for a major drought scenario later this year, which also has municipalities taking other preventative measures.

If a severe drought occurs, agreements throughout the province will see major users use less water to help others downstream. The government held workshops with municipalities about the WSAs in February.

“As a water license holder within the Red Deer River Basin, it is important for all large license holders to come together on a collaborative approach to reduce water use this summer,” says Andrew Treu, Environmental Services Manager, County of Red Deer. “Red Deer County and the City will collaborate on efforts regarding aligning policy in an effort to have a similar message regarding water conservation across jurisdictions.”

This week, County council took one step to align better with the City, which was to increase its fines for contravening water restrictions.

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Under the County’s Waterworks Bylaw, offences would be $250 the first time, $1,000 the second and $2,500 the third and so on, that is as long as council approves second and third readings at their next meeting. At the City, the fines are the same, and once a household receives three strikes, one runs the risk of being cut off from water altogether.

County council is also enacting a new water restriction policy, which can be viewed here. Again, that is dependent on the bylaw receiving final readings.

Treu says the old policy was largely voluntary, with the new one being more specific in defining which water use activities are non-essential; as well, it assigns ‘stages’ reflective of the current condition of the water supply.

Currently, Alberta is on stage four (out of five) in its water shortage management response plan, with 51 water shortage advisories in place.

Alex Monkman, the City’s Water Superintendent, says residents can take actions now which will have an impact down the road.

“The City has always asked people to conserve water when they can. In your household, there are many ways to do that, including taking shorter showers, which is actually a big, big thing. Also, do larger loads of laundry,” he says.

“The City’s website has some tips and tricks on it, including about how to mow your lawn differently, what you can do when you’re not watering outside, and how you garden. There’s putting down mulch and using a rain barrel, and we have rebate programs for some of these things.”

More education will be shared with residents in the months to come, he adds.

For now, Monkman says the City is monitoring the Red Deer River Basin and getting regular updates from the province on what to expect.

“There is a concern with the Gleniffer Reservoir which is the main supply of water for the Red Deer River. For the City, it is below normal. We also look at the snow pillow, and while we did have big snowfalls the last few weeks, there is still a concern. The next few months will tell a lot as we are going into El Niño, with a year of less precipitation predicted. Things could change with a big rainfall.”

On Wednesday, the Town of Sylvan Lake issued a bulletin noting that it had recently received a letter from the provincial government requesting action on the drought.

In response, the Town is adding:

• Two months to the annual mandatory water conservation, April and October (was May 1 – Sept 30)
• Two hours in the morning every day (was 12–7 p.m.; now starts at 10 a.m.)

The City of Red Deer says it anticipates the province will offer an update on Water Sharing Agreements in April.

READ MORE

• Red Deer to participate in provincial workshop on drought prevention and potential water-sharing agreements

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