By Kevin Rushworth, High River Times
Thursday, August 7, 2014 10:21:32 MDT PM
As of Tuesday afternoon, the majority of water restrictions on High River residents were lifted. Thanks to hard work by operations crews, the water treatment plant came back online and the water reservoir was returned to safe levels.
Yet, the Town of High River remains on Water Conservation Level 3. This means that the watering of lawns is restricted to one day a week and only in the morning or evening.
Mayor Craig Snodgrass thanked the staff at the treatment facility and issued an update, sharing his gratitude toward community members and residents who worked hard to conserve water.
?We would like to thank all residents and businesses for their assistance in conserving water yesterday and into the night,? he explained. ?It?s great to see the community working together when issues like this arise.?
The issue started when flooding in the water treatment plant?caused by technical malfunctions?forced a plant shutdown Tuesday morning. Residents were asked to severely restrict water to essential use only.
As of 7 a.m., Tuesday morning, the Town of High River was at Water Conservation Level 5. The town?s water supply was operating within the available and stored water in the reservoir.
?Crews are working as quickly as possible to get the water treatment plant back online, explained Albert Flootman, director of engineering, planning and operational services. ?We appreciate everyone?s assistance with conserving water while we work to correct this problem.?
During the town?s recent Water Conservation Level 5, anyone using the High River water supply was asked to abide by the following restrictions. Water quality was not affected and tap water remained potable.
? Flush toilets ONLY as required (for solids).
? NO washing of exterior surfaces, buildings, sidewalks, driveways of any sort.
? Watering of lawns, trees, and shrubs is prohibited unless the source of water is a rain barrel
? Using water for filling outdoor decorative features such as fountains, pools or hot tubs is prohibited.
? Using water for construction purposes such as grading, compaction and dust control is prohibited.
? Severely restrict laundry use; bathing; dish washing and cleaning until further notice.
? NO washing of vehicles.
Now, as the town remains at Water Conservation Level 3, there are new, but less stringent restrictions on residents in the Town of High River.
Watering of lawns is only permitted one day a week between 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., and between 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., for each area of town. The southwest can water on Monday, while the southeast must water only on Tuesdays.
Finally, the northeast and northwest are able to water their lawns Wednesday. Filling pools and other recreational facilities is not permitted and New Lawn Watering Permits will not be issued.
?The move to Water Conservation Level 3 is being done as a precaution to ensure the reservoir returns to full capacity and can meet the needs of the town,? explained Flootman.
He noted that staff continue to monitor the treatment plant as it returns to full operations. The flooding was seen to be caused by an equipment failure at the water treatment plant.
The town?s system is being reviewed and improvements are being made to ensure that this concern does not occur into the future, according to a town?s release
http://www.highrivertimes.com/2014/08/05/water-treatment-plant-shut-down-forces-water-restrictions
