Water usage typically rises in the summer months, mostly because of lawn and garden watering. When there is hot, dry weather, or a situation that impacts the rate of potable water production, this can create more demand than supply.

Water bans give our reservoirs and Water Treatment Plant an opportunity to recover so that there is sufficient supply to meet essential requirements like firefighting and drinking water.

The ability of the Water Treatment Plant to pump water from the North Saskatchewan River, and thus store water in the reservoir, depends on water levels of the river. If the river levels drop significantly more than normal, the Water Treatment Plant will not be able to pump water at the same rate. The lower the river gets, the longer it will take to pump the water which will decrease the amount of water we can treat and store in a day. Thus, we are not able to replenish the water reservoir as quickly.

• Nisku Bulk Water Station – 1402 7 St., Nisku – PIN account + credit card
• Spruce Grove Bulk Water Station – 155 South Ave., Spruce Grove – Requires account w/ City of Spruce Grove
• New Sarepta Bulk Water Station – 4991 Central Avenue – PIN account + credit card

At this time, we do not anticipate a shutdown of Town bulk water services and are currently operating as normal with no water supply concerns or restrictions. The Town is working with real-time data and, thus, will react accordingly in real-time.

In the past, the bulk water station was shut down for a very short period (12-48 hours max.) to replenish the reservoir and catch up on demand. We do not foresee a situation where bulk water would have to be shut down any longer than that. Any closure of the bulk water station will be as short as possible and only done when absolutely necessary to catch up to water demand and mitigate risks to the water distribution system.

The Town’s water supply is used for all Town operations, including firefighting which uses a very large amount of water. Therefore, an adequate supply of water must be maintained should there be a crisis that requires firefighting support.

Of course. The Town’s primary responsibility is to provide residents with safe potable drinking water for residential or domestic purposes. This is considered “essential” water use. Essential water uses includes water used for cooking, cleaning, drinking, and bathing. There will be no fines administered to residents for essential water usage; only for gross negligence.

The top three uses of water in the home includes water coming from faucets (handwashing, dishes, and food prep), showers, and clothes washing.  Here are some suggestions to conserve water:

• Hold off on unnecessary laundry
• Try to only wash full loads of laundry and wash cloths in cold water
• Try to only wash a full load of dishes for dishwashers; avoid doing them by hand
• Take 5-10 minute showers and avoid baths completely
• Don’t let the water run while you brush your teeth
• Check for leaky plumbing such as toilets
• Install water efficient devices such as low flush toilets and low-flow faucets/showerheads

Here are some suggestions to conserve water in the yard:

• Use a rain barrel for outside watering
• Plant drought tolerant plants, shrubs, and trees
• Water lawns sparingly (Lawns only need 1 inch of water per week)
• Water lawns in the morning or evening to reduce water loss through evaporation
• Hold off on washing your car