Charlottetown's water use hits 18-year low

Water use numbers released by the City of Charlottetown this week contained good news for people worried the city has been using too much.

New numbers show the city used 6.13 billion litres of water in 2015, the lowest amount since 1998.

For years the City of Charlottetown has been asking citizens to conserve water to protect the environment at its main water source, the Winter River Watershed.

Issues in the Winter River Watershed came to a head during a summer drought in 2012. Springs dried up, and Environment Canada warned the city it was using too much water.

The city introduced seasonal water use restrictions that same year. It had already introduced rebates for installing low-flow toilets in 2011.

Between 2011 and 2015, 965 low-flow toilets were installed, accounting for annual water savings of 55 million litres.

Those measures, amongst others, appear to be working.

Water use down 17 per cent from peak

The new numbers cover the years 1996 to 2015.

The year of peak water use was 2008, at 7.15 billion litres, 17 per cent more than was used in 2015.

Water use has fallen in the city in six of the last seven years 2012 saw an increase over the year before.

The city is also building a new water supply in Miltonvale, outside the Winter River watershed.

• Another $6M coming for Charlottetown water project

The Miltonvale well field is expected to supply 25 per cent of the city's water, further reducing pressure on the Winter River watershed.

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