Water ban making a difference, Epcor says as repairs to treatment plant continue
Average consumption has dropped from 370 million litres per day to 335 million
Four days after putting in a mandatory ban on non-essential water use, Epcor said Thursday it has made "significant strides" in its efforts to get the E.L. Smith water treatment plant back to full capacity.
"Epcor crews and contractors worked overnight and successfully repaired electrical systems," the utility said in a media release Thursday afternoon.
"Work continues today to stabilize the system and replenish the reservoirs."
The ban on non-essential water use remains in effect in Edmonton and surrounding areas. Epcor has said previously it expects the ban to continue until midday on Sunday.
As of Wednesday, water consumption had dropped from the typical daily winter average of 370 million litres per day to 335 million litres per day.
"Epcor recognizes the tremendous efforts made by all residents, business owners, large water users, and regional partners to conserve water over the past few days — in particular the sacrifices made by car wash and laundromat owners and their employees," Thursday's update said.
"We understand this remains a difficult situation for many and we continue to offer our sincere thanks to everyone for supporting the restrictions."
The utility said the cause of the failure was to the electrical feed system to the 4,000-horsepower water distribution pumps that feed the reservoir system.
Residents and businesses in surrounding communities — including Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Morinville, Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, Leduc, Beaumont, Fort Saskatchewan and others — have been told to limit non-essential water use. In total, more than 90 communities in the capital region use water supplied by Epcor.
WATCH | The ripple effect of the Epcor water ban:
Following Epcor's water ban, municipalities in the Edmonton area began issuing their own bans.
Morinville, Stony Plain and St. Albert announced they will begin conserving water to maintain essential water service for firefighting, food preparation and sanitation.
Stony Plain activated an emergency co-ordination centre on Wednesday.
"The situation has escalated," said Doug Fraser, supervisor of utilities and environment and the centre's operation chief.
"The water commission has informed the town they are reducing our fill rates to protect their reservoir levels. This means Stony Plain will receive less water each night to replenish its reserves — a serious situation that cannot be overstated," Fraser said in a news release.
The town is contemplating reducing water pressure for all businesses and residents. The reduction is expected to be noticeable and is a measure of the importance of our current situation.
