Despite an alert urging users to “Conserve Water!” because of “problems at the river intake” by one of its member communities, the Mountain View Regional Water Services Commission says there was never any real problem at its water treatment facility June 7.
Routine maintenance at the Anthony Henday Water Treatment Plant cleared debris from one of two water inflows along the Red Deer River and an advisory was sent along to the six municipalities to which they deliver water as a heads up, according to commission chairman Rick Blair.
“It's kind of a routine maintenance thing we go through on a yearly basis,” Blair said. “Sometimes there's some debris or some rocks that come around the intake.”
At 12:26 p.m. the Town of Olds posted to the Olds Community Facebook page with the message:
“Notice! Conserve Water! The Anthony Henday Water Treatment Plant is experiencing problems at the river intake. They are asking all communities to please use as little water as possible until further notice!,” it read.
Minutes later @TownOfOlds posted “Anthony Henday water treatment plant experiencing problems! They ask all communities to conserve water til further notice!” on Twitter.
Blair says he never saw these online messages, but said there was never a pumping problem with the facility and there was no water shortage.
“We don't really control what the towns can say to their ratepayers,” he said, of the water conservation message. “We're just saying not to use it needlessly.”
Similar messages are communicated to municipalities when hydraulic fracturing companies and fire departments purchase water from the commission, he added. We just want to make sure that the towns are aware.
“We were never in an urgent situation,” he said.
About 11,000 cubic metres of water flow through the treatment facility each day towards 30,000 people in Innisfail, Bowden, Olds, Didsbury, Carstairs and Crossfield.
