Mayor Elliott tabled further discussion on drought warnings at their regular Jan. 8 council meeting but indicated watering restrictions are possible if drought conditions escalate.
Elliott was addressing a letter from Rebecca Schultz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, regarding the current drought in Alberta, and a possible worsening of drought conditions later this year.
Bill Wulff, accountant for the Village of Delia, reported that the snowpack on the mountains is 10 per cent of normal, having missed the wet snowfalls prevalent in autumn.
Meltwater in the mountains feeds the Red Deer River where Delia gets its water.
Wulff recommended information sheets be made available to the public to make sure residents know how to store water for emergency use, and on how to purify and store water in the event of a water outage.
Mayor Jordan Elliott agreed council should let residents know that water shortages are a possibility.
The Town of Blackfalds, Alta. is hosting a meeting on Jan. 26 to discuss the impact of possible water shortages on the Red Deer River. Mayor Elliott, Deputy Mayor Jim Adams and Wulff are each considering attending the meeting.
In her letter, municipalities are being asked to: “1). Initiate efforts to monitor water supply infrastructure proactively, paying particular attention to water intake relative to water levels. 2). Begin a review terms of your municipality’s water licence so you are aware of any conditions that may limit your ability to withdraw water during a drought. 3) alert municipal water managers to prepare to engage with officials from the Drought Command Team, should conditions within your municipal water licence need to be triggered. 4). Develop a water shortage plan so your municipality is prepared to respond if water availability decreases.”
Minister Shultz asked that all water users, whether villages, towns, municipalities, or other jurisdictions, to plan now to use less water in 2024.
CBC hosting event
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) will be hosting an event at the Delia School.
Deputy Mayor Adams told council that he had spoken with the CBC representative at length, and it seemed to him this will be a public relations event.
In an interview with ECA Review Delia Library Manager Leah Hunter said Alberta Library asked if any rural libraries in Alberta would invite CBC to come, not to get a story per se, but to get the pulse of rural communities.
Hunter, who invited CBC to come to Delia to showcase her community, said CBC decided they are out of touch with rural communities, so the The Delia Municipal Library is partnering with the Delia School to host Winterfest in conjunction the arrival of the CBC.
Among other things, CBC will talk with interested students about how to get into broadcasting.
Mayor Elliot reported on the Delia community hall planned events. The first is a Spring Fever Feast for Easter and an All-In Weekend in June that would hopefully include a car show, games at the campground, bouncy castle, beer gardens, band, and other entertainment.
Lane Koster
ECA Review
