Water Shortage Management Plan measures deactivated

Medicine Hat – Following the deactivation of the Government of Alberta's Oldman/South Saskatchewan River Water Sharing Agreement, the City of Medicine Hat has downgraded the status of its Water Shortage Management Plan from Phase 1 to normal conditions.

“I want to extend a big thank you to all residents and water users who voluntarily conserved water in 2024. Your efforts helped us surpass our 10 per cent water reduction goal by reducing water use by 17 per cent from May 1 to September 31, compared to the same months in 2023,” said Jamie Garland. “This is a clear indication that, indeed, every drop counts.”

Medicine Hat enacted Phase 1 of the local Water Shortage Management Plan on Aug. 28, 2023 in response to Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (EPA) water shortage advisories for river basins upstream of Medicine Hat at the time. Phase 1 commits to an annualized water consumption reduction goal of 10 per cent through mandatory measures for select City departments and voluntary conservation measures for the public.

This April, Medicine Hat formally signed on to participate in a Water Sharing Agreement (WSA) led by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas to collaborate closely with regional agencies and other large license holders in the Oldman River sub-basin to align efforts and ensure prioritized use in the event of limited water availability. That agreement was deactivated on Oct. 10 and will terminate on Dec. 31, 2024.

Overall, 38 partners signed four WSA’s across the province in 2024. Visit alberta.ca/drought for details.

“Thankfully, there was no imminent risk to Medicine Hat’s drinking water or Water Treatment Plant throughout this response and we’re glad we were able to control water use in phase 1 without having to escalate to further phases,” adds Garland. “We’ll continue evaluating conditions throughout the winter and will activate various plans according to water source conditions in the basin as required.”

Visit medicinehat.ca/waterconservation for local drought management plans.

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