Southern Alberta is an arid region, so the area has experienced droughts in the past with the most recent drought in 2002. While our agricultural sector was the hardest hit during this time, Calgary was also a city of less than 1 million and was fortunate that we were able to adjust our operations without requiring water restrictions.

Looking ahead, a changing climate will cause these prolonged dry spells to happen more frequently, which could also lead to multi-year droughts and potential water shortages for our area.

It’s been dry in Calgary and we're anticipating drier conditions throughout the summer, with the long-term forecast from Environment Canada showing below average precipitation and above average temperatures in the plains.

Currently, our water supply appears average . We’re fortunate to have above average snowpack in the mountains, average reservoir storage upstream. However, this year we’re entering the summer with less moisture than normal in Calgary and areas east of us, so we’re expecting water demand to be up. In addition, the Alberta Environment and Parks water supply outlook is for average flow volumes for the Bow River Basin from March – September.

We’ll continue to closely monitor forecasts, our water supply and demand and other local indicators in the coming weeks and we’re prepared to respond so that we continue to have enough water to meet our essential needs. This includes plans to help reduce water usage based on the severity of a drought.

Most grass in Calgary yards is Kentucky Blue Grass, which is vulnerable to drought because it heavily relies on water to thrive during hot, dry periods. Grass has a very shallow root system, which means it cannot hold water for long and requires frequent watering to stay green. This drives up Calgary’s water demand and puts pressure on rivers in times of drought.

The City has taken several proactive steps to explore ways to increase our water storage and manage our demand to ensure we have a year-round reliable water supply.

For example, the addition of higher gates at the Glenmore Dam doubles the storage of the reservoir, which not only increases flood protection but also improves our climate resilience to future droughts so we can store more water in the winter when flows on the Elbow River are at their lowest.

The City also continues to advocate for a new provincially-owned upstream reservoir on the Bow River that would be a major component for drought management and flood mitigation in Calgary.

Also, significant progress has been made to help reduce our water demand by nearly 30% despite a growing population. This includes investments in leak detection, watermain replacements, water metering, adoption of low flow toilets and faucets.

Glacial melt is important. On average, glacier melt makes up approximately 3% of Calgary’s annual river runoff with most of our water supply comes from precipitation – snowmelt and rain.

However, if we were to experience a drought extending into August when precipitation is at its lowest, glacial melt would contribute 8-20% of our water supply, when there isn’t as much precipitation to rely on.

With rising temperatures due to climate change, glaciers will continue to shrink, meaning we won’t have the same steady supply in our rivers to sustain us over the driest months of the year.

If water demand exceeds our water supply and what our plants can deliver, mandatory outdoor water restrictions may be needed, so we continue to have enough water for our most essential needs. We know how important it is for Calgarians to have access to reliable, clean water. Our operations have a strong reputation of carefully managing our water supply and are always closely monitoring our water use.

In addition to some of the water wise programs that are geared at residential outdoor water use, we’re also advancing some of the other buildings blocks that are critical in managing our long-term risks to our water supply. This includes:

• Working across our City business units to ensure our infrastructure and services are resilient to drought to support service continuity for Calgarians.
• Continuing to work with other major water license holders across the basin to assess opportunities for strengthening our water license capacities in times of drought.
• Assessing opportunities where we can protect fish habitat, water quality and natural assets under potential drought conditions.

Using rainwater collected in a rain barrel is a great way for homeowners to reduce their demand on drinking water supplies when we’re looking to get through short-term dry spells. In fact, for over a decade, The City has been sponsoring Green Calgary’s annual rain barrel offered every spring. However, during extended dry periods and multi-year droughts rain barrels are not enough to meet residential needs, so we will need to turn to other water reuse opportunities, including cisterns and storm ponds that have larger holding capacities.

Trees provide numerous benefits to our city and during drought conditions we encourage Calgarians to prioritize the watering of trees. Some best practices include:

• Check for dry soil first, but generally, young trees (less than 3 years) should be watered every week, while established trees can be watered once every two weeks.
• Always water low and slow, and never apply water faster than your soil can absorb.
• Consider adding mulch to a depth of two inches to help the soil retain moisture.
• Water slowly and focus on the area under the drip line.

If drought conditions were severe and outdoor water restrictions were needed, a garden hose, soaker hose, or drip irrigation can be used during early stages of outdoor watering restrictions, while a bucket of water can be used during a Stage 3 restriction. Learn more about water restrictions.