Water alert lifted as rainfall pressure eases
Residents can resume normal routines; stormwater system stabilized after three days of heavy rain.
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Edmonton's water supply alert has been lifted after the stormwater system stabilized, allowing residents to return to normal routines.
The advisory, issued Sunday following days of heavy rainfall, was suspended Monday evening. Environment Canada recorded 104 millimetres of rain over three days in and around the city, which strained multiple stormwater systems and created a risk of flooding and sewer backups.
Epcor, the city's utility provider, fielded more than 600 calls during the emergency—many from residents reporting flooding and sewer backups—but says the system is holding up as expected. City councillor Anne Stevenson credited decades of proactive infrastructure investment for mitigating worse damage. "Without the investments they've made over the past decade or two, we would have been in a much worse place," she said.
Environment Canada says more rain is expected later this week, though conditions are improving. Epcor continues working through a 30-year plan to upgrade stormwater capacity citywide, including additional storage ponds.