Canmore non-essential water use ban amended

CANMORE, AB, June 12, 2023 /CNW/ - EPCOR is extending the non-essential water ban for residents and businesses in Canmore, Deadman's Flats and Harvie Heights (commercial area only), with the following amendments: 

• Personal essential use is exempt from the ban, and includes health, safety and hygiene needs for laundry and washing. Personal essential use should ideally occur from 8 am to 5 pm, avoiding evening and overnight water use where possible. Please be mindful of your water consumption and maximize water efficiency wherever possible.
• Businesses that rely on water for their income and livelihood are exempt, including car washes, which recycle water, laundromats and hotel laundry operations.
• The ban does not apply to golf courses that do not use the Town of Canmore's distribution system to irrigate, as well as other operations that use private wells or non-potable water sources that are separate from the Town's distribution system.

EPCOR and the Town of Canmore are grateful for the actions taken by the community so far. Over the weekend, through a combination of community demand management, system operations and system leak repairs, the Grassi Reservoir was refilled to required operating levels. However, EPCOR needs to further assess the ability of the system to maintain reservoir levels. We are therefore asking the community to continue to restrict the use of water for non-essential purposes.  

Over the past several weeks, EPCOR has seen large, unexpected overnight demand. This demand is unrelated to population growth or visitor trends, which have been anticipated through system design and operations. We continue to look for the cause of the unusual demand. 

Please continue to restrict: 

• Overnight use where possible
• Watering from a hose or tap for lawns, gardens, trees, or shrubs
• Spring cleaning with water from a hose or tap (washing sidewalks, driveways or houses)
• Laundry use when not related to health, safety or hygiene

A further update on the situation will be issued late afternoon on Tuesday, June 13. 

NOTE: The Grassi Reservoir is an underground tank that is not visible to the public, separate from the water bodies that make up the Rundle Forebay part of the drinking water system. 

About EPCOR

EPCOR, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, builds, owns and operates electrical, natural gas and water transmission and distribution networks, water and wastewater treatment facilities, sanitary and stormwater systems, and infrastructure in Canada and the United States. The Company also provides electricity, natural gas and water products and services to residential and commercial customers. EPCOR, headquartered in Edmonton, is committed to conducting its business and operations safely and responsibly. Environmental stewardship, public health and community well-being are at the heart of EPCOR's mission to provide clean water and safe, reliable energy. EPCOR is an Alberta Top 75 employer, and is ranked among Corporate Knights' 2022 Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada.

SOURCE Epcor Utilities Inc.

Media Relations: Laura Ehrkamp [phone], [email protected]