Calgary lake communities fed by city water only have another six weeks before the taps are shut off on fills and top-ups, according to the City.
The City of Calgary said Friday they are under a water use advisory and for citizens to expect permanent restrictions coming by summer. That announcement came on the same day as the province outlined water-sharing agreements that could force licence holders like the City of Calgary to cut water consumption by between five and 10 per cent.
According to an initial email from the City of Calgary, during the water advisory lake customers will be permitted to top up this spring until May 31, unless water restrictions are enacted. If that happens, lake filling or top-ups won’t be permitted.
“This will help preserve our water supply, protect river health and ensure available water for downstream users who depend on this vital resource,” read an email response from City of Calgary Water Services.
After further clarification was provided, the City of Calgary said that during periods of outdoor water restrictions (Stage 1 or higher), there will be no top-ups. After May 31, if there are no outdoor water restrictions in place, lakes can top up, but pay a significantly higher rate.
Ward 12 Coun. Evan Spencer, who has a couple of lake communities in his area – Mahogany Lake and Auburn Bay – said they need a fair bit of water to remain operational in the summer. He said the water health and the integrity of the lake liners is a big consideration for community associations.
“It’s certainly going to be a topic of conversation for both of those associations as we get into this summer and then likely a hotly debated one for both of them as we move forward,” he said.
Spencer said that when water restrictions came in last summer, lakes weren’t allowed to top up. Those restrictions started in the back half of summer (August 15). Spencer said he wasn’t aware of operational challenges for lakes in that span.
Mahogany Lake planning for water changes
Sally Lockhart, general manager of the Mahogany Homeowners Association, which oversees the lake, said they’re different from some of the other lakes in Calgary in that they only have access to city tap water. Other lakes have supplementary water sources, like wells, that can help.
The City of Calgary confirmed that they have water agreements with 11 community lakes.
Mahogany Lake uses roughly 220,000 cubic metres of water, according to Lockhart. They are the biggest lake in Calgary at 64 acres of surface area, roughly double the size of nearby lakes like Auburn Bay and McKenzie Lake.
Lockhart said once the ice comes off the lake, they turn on the tap and fill it to what’s called the optimum level. It gives them a variation of about 18 inches in water depth.
“Depending on evaporation, depending on a heat, depending on whatever we may need to turn the tap on to top up,” Lockhart said.
“In the past it has been for aesthetic reasons and that sort of stuff, but the only reason we’ll turn the tap on to top up is if it starts impacting the integrity of the lake liner and where that impacts the integrity of the lake.”
Should water levels recede, Lockhart said it could degrade the bentonite lake liner. If that happens after May 31, Lockhart said they’ll have to negotiate with the city.
“We’ll be negotiating with the city to maintain that minimum level until such time that we can fill up again,” she said.
“Otherwise…we don’t know what the cost is because it could be millions having to replace the lake liner or that sort of stuff.”
Lockhart said they’re good at managing their water levels, so hopefully it doesn’t reach that point. Lake users may see some changes, particularly in the shallow areas where it might be just over six inches, instead of the typical two feet.
Coun. Spencer said given the water situation, this will be an ongoing issue moving forward. However he said that he doesn’t expect it to hit a critical point immediately. There may be a difficult decision for lake boards in the future.
“It’s going to be the rising cost of keeping those lakes topped up and then just operationally running them,” he said.
“If things go wrong, that costs money to fix, to mitigate. So, they’re likely going to need some creativity and some support to extend the life of those community assets.”
Calgary lake communities pay substantially more for water between June 1 and August 31 than they do the rest of the year.
