We know that the summer season is short and sweet. From pool days to patio dinners, we have to make the most of the months we have. But we can’t help but notice that the summer days are getting hotter and drier, while wildfires seem to be a more regular occurrence in our lives. This brings to mind the importance of managing our water consumption and taking steps to encourage water conservation. And while there are a few things we can do at home to conserve water, it’s good to have an eye on what our community and city are doing as well.
Did you know that the City of Calgary has a reduced water consumption target set for 350 litres per capita of water per day by 2030? As of 2019, we were at 356 LPCD, so well on our way toward that goal! The City also launched an engagement from citizens last spring centred around building Calgary’s resilience to drought. According to the City, in the dry summer months, residential water consumption can go up as much as 50%! This can put stress on our system in an already dry wildfire-prone time. So, the City is proposing various strategies, including outdoor watering schedules, water-wise landscaping, and exploring ways to reuse water to help manage water consumption during the summer months. The feedback that was provided will be incorporated and presented in a report to be given to the council this fall, so stay tuned! Visit https://engage.calgary.ca/drought for more information.
Another action from the City occurred in 2020 when SAIT was tasked with running a study to identify more cost-effective ways to use less water and develop short to long-term water efficiency programs while making Calgarians more resilient to climate changes. One suggestion coming from this study is for Calgarians to create water-wise gardens: gardens that are designed to only require low water usage plants. To make this easy to adopt, the study suggests that the City provides garden kits to interested citizens. We look forward to seeing this and other outcomes of this study.
As the dry season gets hotter and longer, water consumption and conservation are something we need to continue to be conscious of. If you are looking for ideas to practice water conservation at home, a few quick ideas are installing a rain barrel, shorter showers, and washing laundry and dishes with full loads.
If you have ideas that you want to share on how to prioritize water conservation, or if you want to get involved and be a part of making Mount Pleasant a greener community, we would love to have you join the committee. Please email [email protected] for more information or if you have any questions. As well, please check out our Mount Pleasant Green Initiatives Group on Facebook! You can find us on the Mount Pleasant Community Association page. The Facebook group is a great place to share knowledge and resources and check in to see what others are saying.
Happy summer,
The MPCA Green Initiatives Committee
For Further Reading:
• Calgary Water Efficiency: https://www.calgary.ca/water/programs/water-efficiency-strategy.html
• Community Engagement on Drought Resilience: https://engage.calgary.ca/drought
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