The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) recognized the rapid growth of the Municipality and the need for a sustainable plan to supply clean water for current and future use without compromising the ecosystem. The rapid increase of water consumption imposed high demands on energy resources to chemically treat water and wastewater.
The RMWB Council approved a 5-year plan to implement a water conservation program within the Municipality with a focus on a retrofit program. The water conservation program targeted users in residential, institutional, commercial and industrial market sectors (not including the oil sands operations north of the City of Fort McMurray). The initial goal in water reduction was 30% of total current water usage.
Associated Engineering completed information gathering, consulting on water conservation programs implemented in other cities, and designing of the retrofit program. This retrofit program was first introduced as a 6-month pilot project. Based on the results of the pilot program and upon improvement and necessary modification, the program was implemented for 5 years.