Water Restriction Measures 

Water Restriction Measures (or water demand management measures) are implemented whenever the water demand forecast indicates the water demand will exceed the combined capacities of the water treatment plants and reservoirs.

The demand can exceed the supply capacity whenever any of the following conditions occur:

• Extended periods of hot dry weather resulting in increased consumer demands for lawn/garden watering;
• Poor raw water quality due to spring runoff, which limits the production capacity of the water treatment plants;
• Contamination of the North Saskatchewan River from human activity resulting in a total shut down of one or both water treatment plants;
• Unexpected failure of a major system component resulting in a sudden shortage of supply capabilities.

Essential Water Use

Water restriction measures are not a requirement for the following groups:

1. Businesses that depend on water to deliver a product or service, for example:
   • Commercial car washes
   • Market gardens
   • Greenhouses
   • Commercial farm contractors
   • Golf course greens
2. Residential water necessities including:
   • New lawns and gardens when failure to apply water may destroy greenery.
   • Customers who have added high nitrogen fertilizer on their lawn.
3. Regional customers are notified of these measures and cooperate on a voluntary basis.

Indicators

EPCOR has three levels of water restriction or demand management measures: Measure A, Measure B, and Measure C.

Measure "A" Indicator

Measure "A" is invoked when the demand forecast predicts that within the next 10 days the volume of water in the reservoirs will be below 35% of the available storage volumes. The water treatment plants modify their operation and distribution processes to handle a Measure "A" situation.

Measure "B" Indicator

Measure "B" is invoked when the demand forecast predicts that within the next 5 days the volume of water in the reservoir will be below 35% of the available storage volume. EPCOR implements a voluntary outdoor watering ban in Edmonton on all non-essential uses until the reservoirs volumes are stable.

Measure "C" Indicator

Measure "C" is called when the demand forecast predicts that within the next 3 days the combined volume in EPCOR reservoirs and the Regional Water Commission Group reservoirs will be below a set target. EPCOR and the Regional Water Commission Group implement mandatory outdoor watering restrictions in the Edmonton Capital Region on all essential and non-essential uses until the reservoirs volumes are stable. This includes residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers.

Demand Management Measures Termination

Demand management measures are terminated when the reservoir storage volumes are above 65% of the total available storage at 7:00 AM and the demand forecast predicts that the reservoir volumes will be above 90% of the available volumes within the 10 day forecast period or that the water system will be in a stable position.