City of Calgary looks at more measures to help deal with drought
Global News
The Bow River through Calgary is at far below normal levels, according to data from Alberta's river basin dashboard.
Outdoor watering restrictions are still in effect in Calgary and those rules may become normal in the future.
The Bow River through Calgary is at far below normal levels, according to data from Alberta’s river basin dashboard.
A provincial graph shows that the flow rate of the Bow River in Calgary is around 28 cubic metres per second. Normal levels for this time of the year should be between 50 to 70 cubic metres per second.
“The Bow River is at a historical low since 1911,” said Nicole Newton, manager of natural environment and adaptation for the City of Calgary.
This is the first time that the City of Calgary has enacted outdoor water restrictions as a result of drought. They went into effect in mid August and are still in effect now. They will likely be lifted later this fall according to Newton, but that will not signal that we are out of a drought.
“We are in a hydrological drought and we look to Calgarians to start thinking of ways they can use water wisely, perhaps indoors as we move through the winter,” Newton said. “Water is a precious resource that we have to start thinking longer-term about,”
In response to the drought, the City of Calgary’s Drought Resilience Plan was approved at a community development committee meeting on Oct. 2.
The plan says drought is a top climate hazard in Calgary. One of the strategies being contemplated is a permanent outdoor watering schedule that goes into effect automatically in the spring.