Central Alberta orders halt to non-essential water use

Central Alberta municipalities ordered residents to cease all non-essential water use Sunday afternoon as heavy rainfall pushed local wastewater systems beyond capacity. Residents of Beaumont, Leduc County, and St. Albert were urged to stop showering, flushing toilets, and running laundry machines and dishwashers immediately until further notice.

"If the wastewater system continues to operate over-capacity, flooding and sewer backups will continue to increase," the City of Beaumont warned on its website. Environment Canada had issued a heavy rainfall warning for the Edmonton region, with an estimated 50 to 75 millimetres of rain falling by early Sunday morning. The Beaumont alert went out around 12:30 p.m., with St.

Albert following roughly 30 minutes later. Localized flooding and backups had already been reported to city officials by the time advisories were issued. The City of Beaumont also asked residents to avoid driving or walking in areas where manhole covers had become dislodged due to increased water and air pressure within sewer and stormwater systems.

Morinville and Westlock, located northwest of Edmonton, also urged residents to reduce water consumption immediately. Mike Berezowsky, a Beaumont spokesperson, said the city had already seen an initial decrease in water use since the advisory took effect, but stressed residents would need to "really help us out by reducing their non-essential water usage" for at least the next day depending on rainfall.