Heavy rain in the Calgary region and throughout much of Southern Alberta on Tuesday was welcomed by many.
An official with the City of Calgary said that staff are monitoring the forecast to balance the risks of drought and flood moving forward, but added that things “seem to be trending in the right direction.”
“The ongoing precipitation, it is really welcome in the region. Overall, the basin remains in a deficit and so we’re continuing to monitor those conditions,” said Nicole Newton, manager of natural environment and adaptation.
“One of the things that we are looking at is the rate at which the snow does melt. The snowpack is quite important for our long-term water security and projections are signalling that there might still be a hot and dry summer. So we’re trying to balance those risks with the water supply in the future,” she said.
“May and June are our typical months in which we have to balance the risk between flood and drought.”
Current drought conditions in Calgary are listed as “dry,” which means the city is asking residents to voluntarily reduce their water use rather than impose mandatory water restrictions.
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Things Calgarians can do include:
- Watering early in the morning or later in the evenings.
- Avoid watering when it has rained or if there is rain in the forecast and use a rain barrel to capture and reuse rainwater in your yard.
- Consider replacing portions of your lawn with native wildflowers, perennials, trees and shrubs better suited to Calgary’s growing conditions.
- Add rich soil and mulch to reduce evaporation from your soil.
- Mow less often to keep your grass five to seven centimetres (two to three inches) high to shade the soil.
There is currently a wait list to get a rain barrel in Calgary, but Newton said the city is working to address that demand.
The city says drought conditions are likely to persist in the coming years, so creating a yard that’s fit for Calgary’s climate will help prepare for future droughts.
For more information on how you can help conserve water you can visit the city’s YardSmart website.
Much of southeastern Alberta remained under a rainfall warning on Tuesday, with anywhere from 50 to 70 millimetres of rain expected before the precipitation tapers off on Wednesday.
While Calgary is not under a rainfall warning, up to 20 mm of rain are in the forecast before it tapers off overnight.
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