By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

Potable water reserves back to normal, City cancels call for conservation

Mar 22, 2017 | 11:23 AM

LETHBRIDGE – A call for community water conservation has finally ended.

According to the City of Lethbridge, production and reserves at the water treatment plant are both back up to normal levels as of Wedneday (Mar. 22). Residents are advised that they can resume with their normal water use.

Lethbridge County lifted its call for conservation for residents, as well.

Potable water production was disrupted last week due to extremely muddy conditions and high turbidity in the Oldman River, with the rapid snow and ice melt to blame.

Over the past 72 hours, water conditions improved substantially, allowing the plant to step up processing volumes.

Week-in-review: Federal Budget, water agreements and success for tourism industry

Apr 20, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this weekend: April 19, 2024

Apr 19, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: April 15, 2024

Apr 15, 2024

However, Mayor Chris Spearman noted Wednesday afternoon that the City came dangerously close to declaring a boil water order.

He added that the City takes situations like this very seriously, and requires cooperation from all residents to avoid even bigger problems.

“It’s important that everybody realize how important clean, potable water is… We have to maintain water in our systems to fight fires, for example.

“When we have contaminated water in the system it will take weeks to recover, to flush our system, to flush systems in food production plants,” he continued. “Hospital surgeries could be cancelled for weeks. We’d have to make sure the whole system is clean again if we ever ran out of clean, potable water.”

Spearman thanked everyone who did their part, especially the water treatment plant staff who put in long hours getting production running smoothly once again.