Water restrictions in place for some southern Alberta communities as temperatures soar

LETHBRIDGE -

A heat warning has been issued for much of southern Alberta and the high, dry temperatures are having an impact on water resources.

"Pincher Creek has had water restrictions multiple times but this is definitely the worst in recent history," said Alexa Levair, director of operations and infrastructure with the Town of Pincher Creek.

The Town of Pincher Creek is currently under a stage 2 water restriction, meaning residents can only water their lawns once a week and all watering activities are restricted to the hours of 6 to 10 a.m. and 7 to 11 p.m.

The town receives its water from the Castle River and Pincher Creek, which Levair says are very low.

"Right now, the Pincher Creek is running 90 per cent below normal and the Castle River is running about 60 per cent below normal," Levair said.

Other major waterways in the region are also below normal levels.

The St. Mary River Irrigation District and Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District both have water restrictions in place.

As of Aug. 11, the Oldman River Dam was at 49 per cent of its storage capacity but, according to the City of Lethbridge, that isn't causing any concern for the city.

"Right now, in the city limits, we're slightly below normal flow rates and depth at the same time but what we're seeing regional to the south of us and even the upper Oldman basin, which is to the west of us in the mountains, is substantial decreases in flow depth," said Luke Palmer, emergency planning and risk supervisor with the city.

With no water restrictions in place for Lethbridge residents, Palmer says residents are encouraged to water their lawns in the early morning or late evening and avoid washing their cars.

"We've been in a three- to four-year drought in the south and we still have not seen precipitation to overcome that," Palmer said.

"We're going to need to see prolonged precipitation that allows us to come out of that moisture deficit."

With temperatures expected to be in the mid-30s all week, Palmer is reminding those planning to cool off in the river to plan ahead and be cautious.