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Edmonton water supply alert lifted as stormwater pressure eases

Click to play video: 'Reprieve from the ran but flooding continues in central Alberta'
Reprieve from the ran but flooding continues in central Alberta
Central Alberta got a reprieve from the rain on Tuesday, but areas in and around Edmonton are still dealing with deluge aftermath. High river levels and flooded areas, as is the case still in Tofield, are posing a safety risk in some situations. Katherine Ludwig reports.

A water supply alert for the city of Edmonton, issued Sunday after days of heavy rainfall, was lifted on Monday evening.

The advisory said residents of the Alberta capital could return to their normal routines as the city’s stormwater system had stabilized.

Water supply alerts remained in effect Tuesday for the City of Beaumont, the Town of Tofield and Beaver County from RR 182 to the West County border.

An Alberta emergency alert for overland flooding also remained in effect northwest of Edmonton in Lac Ste. Anne County.

Several days of downpours in and around Edmonton put pressure on multiple stormwater systems, bringing about the risk of flooding and sewer backups.

Click to play video: 'Emergency alerts in Edmonton area as rainfall pushes stormwater systems to capacity'
Emergency alerts in Edmonton area as rainfall pushes stormwater systems to capacity

Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack and utility provider Epcor had asked residents to keep their water use to a minimum by limiting showers or baths and holding off on doing laundry or running the dishwasher.

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Epcor spokesman Martin Kennedy said the company had responded to more than 600 calls over the weekend, many of them for flooding and sewer backups.

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The Edmonton region received more rain this past weekend than the area typically gets in the entire month of June.

On average, Edmonton receives 69.9 mm of rain in June but Environment Canada said 104 millimetres of rain fell in the city over three days.

Alberta Environment said from June 19 through to midnight June 22, widespread precipitation of between 40 and 60 mm was observed across an area stretching from Grande Cache down to Nordegg, across to Bindloss and up to Cold Lake.

The area surrounding Whitecourt and Edmonton received 80 to 100 mm, and 125 mm was recorded in Stony Plain and areas south of Stony Plain.

As as result, the North Saskatchewan River basin is above normal and a high streamflow advisory is in effect for the river from the headwaters near Rocky Mountain House to the Saskatchewan border, along with its tributaries.

Alberta Rivers said on Tuesday morning the North Saskatchewan peaked after rising 1.6 metres, and levels have started to go back down.

The streamflow was also starting to slow down, but still remained too swift for anyone to safely use the river for recreation.

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While the weather has improved, more rain is in the forecast for next weekend.

Click to play video: 'Flooded fields early in season raises concerns over crop losses in Alberta'
Flooded fields early in season raises concerns over crop losses in Alberta

With files from Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press

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