An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.And it’s going to take almost every drop of water Alberta has to spare to prevent a Stage 5 water emergency this summer if the current weather forecasts hold true.After several dry years and El Niño winter, Alberta is at risk of severe droughts this year, especially in southern Alberta. Although the recent snowfall has helped, the winter snowpack remains below average, rivers are lower than normal and multiple reservoirs are below capacity..Even if the worst case doesn’t come to pass, Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schultz is touting voluntary agreements between 38 of Alberta’s oldest and largest water licensees — which include towns, municipalities, farmers and ranchers and industrial users — to voluntarily cut back the amount of water they use in the event of a severe summer drought.The groups, which include the city of Calgary, represent up to 90% of the water allocated in the Bow and Oldman basins and 70% in the Red Deer River basin.At a press conference in Calgary on Friday, Schultz touted the agreements as a milestone of cooperation between various stakeholders, some of which have agreements dating back 120 years, before Alberta became a province..“With these agreements, Albertans are once again coming together when times get toughest. They will help make the most of our limited water supplies and make every drop count if a severe drought hits this summer,” she said.If and when a drought hits — and it won’t be known for several more weeks until the snowpack melts — municipalities would voluntarily reduce consumption between 5%-10%. Participating industries would use only the minimum volume of water practical to maintain safe, reliable operations and also look for additional water conservation opportunities. Irrigation districts would allow other users — like towns — to get their water first, then use what’s left for licenced use.The actual water amounts under the agreements will be updated every two weeks based on the latest water supply forecast and seven day precipitation forecasts. Based on that information, exact water use for the following two-week period will be adjusted as needed to ensure that water use doesn’t outpace supply..Some cities such as Calgary already have water restrictions in place and Schulz said she encourages other users to make conservation efforts before the agreements are imposed.Said every little drop spared would prevent imposing Stage 5 water restrictions — Alberta is presently at Stage 4 — with is defined as literally, a state of emergency to protect public health and safety, as well as wildlife and the environment.“I think what we're seeing is these conversations were really sparked about how to prevent us from getting to a stage five water emergency,” she said, before cautioning that the situation appears manageable at this point. “Things are actually looking okay right now. These agreements also take into account the minimum amount of flows that we need to ensure to protect our aquatic species and so that's absolutely something that's been taken into consideration,” she added. “I would also say there might be a little bit more information on that next week when we roll out our drought emergency response plan in terms of what it would take or what it would look like for cabinet to actually declare a stage five emergency and how we would then prioritize water uses.”.Effective immediately, the city of Calgary implemented a water reduction advisory, asking Calgarians to reduce their water use and “make every drop count“ as people start to return to gardening.Other recommended actions avoid watering during or after it has rained, choosing drought-tolerant plants, watering early morning or evening and collecting rainwater in rain barrels.Although Schulz said indoor water restrictions aren’t necessary, the city is recommending Calgarians limit shower time, run only full loads of laundry and dishes, fix leaky faucets and turn off the tap while shaving or brushing teeth."Calgarians can do their part to conserve water and take action now," Mayor Jyoti Gondek said in a statement. "Additional restrictions may be required as conditions change throughout the season."
