Heading into summer, the City of Lethbridge says things looked somewhat grim water-wise.
“The snowpack in the mountains was low and southern Alberta’s reservoirs were even lower. The Oldman River Reservoir, which supplies most of the flow for the Oldman River, hit its lowest summer levels since it was first filled in 1992,” officials say.
The city needed rain, and a lot of it, and Mother Nature delivered in June and July.
According to the City, June 1 alone saw 58.8 millimetres fall in Lethbridge. “That contributed to a month’s total of 96.6 millimetres – up from just 55.1 millimetres the previous June.”
“July followed suit with 103.5 millimetres of rain. That’s 150 per cent more than the average July rainfall, and 570 per cent more than the 15.4 millimetres that fell in July 2024,” the City notes.
Officials note that the rain helped Lethbridge and area in a few key ways:
- It allowed the province to downgrade drought conditions in Lethbridge and the Oldman Watershed from Drought Stage 3 (Severe Drought) to Drought Stage 1 (Abnormally Dry). This time last year, the area was at Drought Stage 4 (Extreme Drought);
- It helped increase water levels in the Oldman Reservoir through the summer, which is abnormal in southern Alberta;
- It supported soil moisture reserves in the South Region, which is expected to support healthy crop development and yield potential.
Current forecasting shows when the irrigation season ends in mid-October, the Oldman Reservoir should be between 54 to 60 per cent full. Officials say that is a bit below the historical average of 62 to 80 per cent, but is similar to last year.
Environmental Manager Mark Svenson says it’s been an interesting year for the city’s water supply. “We had a low snowpack in the mountains, which resulted in very little runoff for the reservoirs this year, which meant the Oldman Reservoir was very low going into the season.”
“You couple that with high demand from the irrigation districts early in the season, and that water level in the reservoir started below normal and stayed below normal for all of the year, so far,” Svenson explains.
Because of the rainfall, he adds, there’s been an increase in the water level in the Oldman Reservoir, “which has definitely helped the water outlook”.
“In speaking with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, they’re projecting for fall, by mid-October, the reservoir to be between 54 to 60 per cent full. Although this is still just below normal, it’s substantially better than what we were looking at or anticipating earlier in the season. That’s a win for us,” says Svenson.
He would like to thank water users in the city for continuing to look for ways to conserve water. “We’ve been watching that, and they’ve managed to continue to keep usage down from our baseline of 2023 – which is great. We encourage people to continue to look for those ways to conserve water and find those small wins in your home and in your yards.”
Earlier this year, the City launched its rebate programs for rain barrels and low-flow toilets, with just under 400 rebates processed.
“The majority of those are rain barrels, but about 60 low-flow toilets have also been put in. That’s great. Those are easy wins and easy things you can do in your home to cut the amount of water you use,” Svenson adds.
