The Red Deer River might be lower than usual, but the Town of Drumheller has contacted Dixon Dam and the Town is still getting water from the river.
In a press release issued Thursday, the town said operators at the Dixon Dam have confirmed flow as of Wed., July 8, 2015 is at 18.5 m3/sec which is just slightly higher than the minimum flow to be provided by the Dixon Dam of 16 m3/sec.
The dam is about 1.5 m (+ or -) below full storage level or at 88 per cent full storage. The operator further advised that unless significant flows result from precipitation, the release from the Dam will remain at this low level to ensure that they are able to have the Dam full by September in preparation for winter flows.
Mayor Terry Yemen said, “There is ample storage to hold the town over, but we aren’t pulling stored water, we are processing river water. We haven’t been restricted from the river. For all intents and purposes it is status quo. Yes, the river is low, but it is still status quo as to how we are processing water.”
He said the town is not at the point yet where they need to restrict residents from water use.
The Town is not experiencing any problems with drawing from the river with the current low flows. Currently, Cells 1, 2 and 3 are full with Cell 4 partially filled. Town staff is monitoring the raw water storage cells daily to observe potential algae growth and to take corrective action if required.
“The biggest concern right now is the algae growth. When you get sustained periods of heat like this it encourages algae growth, and that is where we get the staining and the odor. The town employees are aware of that and they are monitoring for it,” Yemen said.
Yemen said the contributing factors to river levels are already done.
“As far as the spring run off we usually get in June around Father’s day, all that is done there is no more snow left in the high country… so the only place we would be getting water from now is through precipitation, through rain,” he said. “It wouldn’t hurt to have a few good rains that is for sure down through the Red Deer River Valley for our water supply, and for the farmers too.”
