Regina and Moose Jaw residents requested to preserve water after therapy plant hit by energy outage

The cities of Regina and Moose Jaw are asking residents and companies to preserve water for at the very least 24 hours whereas the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant, which serves each cities, is offline.

According to a launch from the City of Regina, the therapy plant “experienced a brief power outage and was taken offline during the restart process due to a mechanical issue.”

The plant, positioned close to Buffalo Pound Lake, is at the moment being renovated.

Speaking at a information convention, Regina’s director of water waste and setting Carolyn Kalim mentioned the ability outage occurred at 9 p.m. CST and officers count on the therapy plant to be offline for at the very least 24 hours.

“We are implementing these voluntary measures now to ensure that we continue to have enough supply for residents to drink, as well as for fire flows, etcetera, for our fire hydrants,” Kalim mentioned.

In the information launch, the City of Regina mentioned crews are working to renew common operations as quickly as attainable. In the meantime, the town is counting on emergency wells to keep up water service ranges “as much as possible.”

Residents might discover some discoloration in faucet water, however the metropolis mentioned the water is protected to drink.

According to Kalim, these wells can provide about “a third” of the town’s ingesting water, however the emergency backup wells can not “provide sufficient water for residents at the current rate” water is being consumed.

If voluntary measures do not work, the town will enact “more stringent mandatory restrictions,” she mentioned. 

The metropolis is asking folks to assist by avoiding watering their lawns, lowering showering time, avoiding washing vehicles except required by well being and security, and solely working washing machines or dishwashers when they’re full.

The metropolis mentioned it’s “doing its part” by not watering parks and never performing avenue sweeping or water fundamental flushing.

Moose Jaw residents are being requested to avoid wasting water in related methods and that metropolis mentioned it’s also avoiding pointless use.

An analogous water conservation request was made earlier in May of this yr when the water therapy plant skilled an unspecified challenge. At that point, the City of Regina reached out to high water customers and requested for voluntary reductions.

Kalim mentioned the town contacted its high 50 water customers at present and as soon as once more requested for voluntary reductions.

She mentioned there will likely be an replace on the plant’s standing tomorrow and the town is grateful for residents complying with the voluntary measures.

 “Hopefully then we will be able to to move on and return to business as usual,” she mentioned.