Beaumont Relaxing Water Restrictions

“Thank you Beaumont. Your cooperation and understanding during the last few days helped your neighbours,” said Mayor Lisa Vanderkwaak. “Working with our regional partners, our crews now have the wastewater system flowing as it should. To avoid too much water entering the system at once, the City is going to keep its water use to a minimum for now so that residents can start getting back to normal.”

Beaumont issued a water use alert shortly after noon on Sunday, June 21, after heavy rain pushed the wastewater system past its capacity. The City’s Emergency Operations Centre was also activated to coordinate a response.

Most of the wastewater system began clearing after the rain lifted Monday afternoon, however, by late Tuesday it became apparent one line was not draining as quickly as it should. Beaumont worked with regional partners to bring wastewater levels down through Wednesday and into the evening and is now able to lift the alert and relax water use restrictions. 

Residents can follow some tips to ease back into normal water use:

• Space out heavy use: Stagger tasks like multi-load laundry days and excess dishwashing. Use lighter wash cycles if possible.
• Wait to empty pools and hot tubs: Wait a few days to completely empty large items like hot tubs and pools.
• Hold off on watering lawns and gardens: The amount of rain in June should be sufficient for now. 

Preparing for heavy rainfall

With heavy rain in the forecast for Friday and the weekend, water restrictions may be necessary if the system reaches capacity again. The Four Seasons Spray Park will remain closed and the City continues to reduce its non-essential water use to limit water going into the wastewater system by suspending:

• Water and sewer main flushing
• Firefighter training that requires water
• Street cleaning and washing fleet vehicles
• Hydrant meter use (except for emergencies)

Residents can also take several steps to prepare their homes ahead of the rain expected this weekend:

• Direct downspouts away from your foundation, at least two metres if possible. 
• Clear leaves and debris from eavestroughs and downspouts. 
• Test your sump pump and make sure it discharges well away from the house. 
• If you have a backwater valve, check that it is clear and working. 
• Keep window wells clear and covered. 
• Move valuables off basement floors as a precaution. 

Next steps

The City’s priority is to continue clearing the line to prevent further backups from occurring. City crews are also working with regional partners to determine why the line wasn’t draining as it should have. Several factors contributed to the situation:

• Rainfall through June left the ground waterlogged and unable to absorb more rain quickly.
• Heavy rains last weekend then overwhelmed the wastewater system, as it did for many municipalities in the region.

“Our priority right now is keeping things flowing and minimizing the potential for the system to be overwhelmed again,” said Vanderkwaak. “Once this is behind us, there will be a review. Any time we activate our Emergency Operations Centre, we follow it up with a review of how we responded and where we can make improvements for the future.”

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Media contact:

Mike Berezowsky
Director, Communications & Information Technology Services
780-243-0458
mike.berezowsky@beaumont.ab.ca