Water restrictions in Edmonton

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Water restrictions are temporary limits on water use to protect water supply and ensure everyone continues to receive safe, reliable service. Edmonton has four stages of water restrictions, outlined below. 

Water restrictions may be announced when the amount of water we have might not be enough to meet demand in Edmonton. The causes and duration of water restrictions can vary.

If everyone takes steps to reduce their water use, together we can help ensure we have enough water for everyone.

There are various factors that can impact EPCOR's ability to treat, produce and deliver enough water to meet demand. Water restrictions can happen anytime, including during situations like:

• Heat waves, leading to much higher outdoor water use across the city.
• Planned inspections or emergency repairs, temporarily limiting how much water we can treat or deliver. 
• Spring run-off or heavy rain, which can reduce river water quality, leading to longer treatment times.

There are four stages of water restrictions, based on how much water our community needs to save. 

Each stage aims to reduce water use by a set amount, to ensure we can maintain water supply. Higher stages have stricter measures as greater reductions are required. 

Any water-saving actions you take during these stages helps prevent disruptions to water supply for homes and businesses in Edmonton. Even small changes to your daily routine can add up and make a big difference.

* Hand-watering is using a watering can or jug. 
** Open hose watering is a hose left running without a shutoff nozzle.

Every business is different, and we recognize that water plays a critical role in many operations. Some actions businesses can take to meet reduction targets for each stage include:  

Communicating with staff and customers

• Post signage informing customers that water restrictions are in place.
• Notify employees about the restrictions and remind them of simple ways to reduce water use in their daily tasks.
• Include water-saving reminders in customer-facing areas such as restrooms, dining spaces, gyms and guest rooms.

Adjust building systems

• Check for leaks, drips or unnecessary continuous flow equipment and shut off or repair as soon as possible.
• Ensure automated systems (e.g., irrigation, cooling towers, rinse cycles) are set to minimum required operation.

Optimize cleaning practices

• Switch from wet cleaning to dry methods (such as sweeping instead of mopping) when safe and appropriate.
• Reduce use of floor cleaning machines that rely heavily on water and use spot cleaning only where needed.
• In food service environments, follow safe handling practices while avoiding water intensive processes such as thawing food under running water and instead thawing food in the fridge.

Operate more efficiently

• Run full loads of dishwashers and laundry machines, using eco mode where allowed by health and safety regulations.
• Provide towels, linens or other water intensive items only upon request in hotels, fitness facilities, spas or recreation centres.
• Review and adjust processes that use continuous or automatic water flow, ensuring they operate only when necessary.

Plan for larger events or high-demand periods

• Event organizers (for festivals, concerts, conferences or seasonal activities) should prepare water-use contingency plans, including adjustments for food vendors, sanitation, cooling and equipment cleaning.
• Reduce or postpone nonessential water-dependent activities wherever possible.

Our water treatment plants and systems are built to handle ups and downs in the amount of water customers use and changes in river conditions. We also forecast water needs days in advance to make sure we have enough water for all customers. However, situations may still arise when we all need to reduce our water use.

When water restrictions are in place, EPCOR will also reduce the quantity of water used across our operations.

• We’ll stop washing our fleet vehicles
• We’ll pause routine water and sewer main flushing
• We'll pause routine inspections that require large amounts of water usage