With current snowpack levels at roughly 52 per cent of normal, the city’s water supply is expected to be negatively impacted.
City officials said the Phillips reservoir is down five feet from its usual levels at this time of year.
“We are having some high-level discussions internally about updating our overall operational plan for the City, around how we use water,” said Jason Perrault, Deputy Director of Public Works.
“A number of things we are considering include starting the outdoor irrigation season right out of the gates on Stage 2, or even
Stage 3 water restrictions, with more surveillance ensuring people aren’t watering when they shouldn’t be.”
The city is also looking at exploring deferring the annual uni-directional flushing for water quality, reducing dust control to only one treatment instead of two, and cutting irrigation activities and only irrigating priority sports fields.
Operating hours for both spray parks may also be cut.
Routine household use isn’t a major factor in water restrictions and peak water consumption, but residents are advised to conserve water where they can.
The city says drought conditions continue to be a challenge but there are several significant projects, initiatives, and studies underway to plan for long-term sustainability.