How is Edmonton’s water system managing after heavy rainfall?
Posted June 23, 2026 6:51 am.
While Edmonton’s water system is being pushed to its limits, it’s still managing the strain caused by this weekend’s torrential downpour.
That’s the message from EPCOR executives, who faced questions from city council’s utility committee Monday at city hall.
“The system is operating Edmonton-wide pretty much as we expect,” said EPCOR spokesperson Martin Kennedy.
The Edmonton utilities provider says it was ready for the historic rain, launching the storm operations centre Friday.
City councillor Anne Stevenson says despite the overflowing storm ponds and flooded basements, EPCOR’s long-term plan to protect the city from flooding is working.
“Yeah, absolutely,” said Stevenson, the councillor for Ward O-day’min. “Was it 2006 or 2008, the really major flood that happpened then? I think since that time, they have been making a lot of proactive investments in infrastructure. You know without investments they’ve made over the past decade, two decades, we would have been in a much worse place, absolutely.”
EPCOR is working through a 30-year plan to upgrade the city’s stormwater system, like adding more storage ponds, though its planning documents acknowledge some areas are still at higher risk than others.
Plans are still in the works to protect the water treatment plants if the river overflows.
“We haven’t had serious impacts, which is I think a testament to how resilient it is,” said Kennedy.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, Edmonton received around 95 millimetres of rain over the weekend, causing flooding in some areas.
The rain pushed the region’s stormwater system to capacity, according to an Alberta Emergency Alert.
Utilities provider EPCOR says customers should refrain from showering, running washing machines and dishwashers, and should cut back on flushing toilets – a message repeated by Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack on Monday.
“Limit showers and baths, delay laundry and dishwasher use, and ensure sump pumps and downspouts are functioning properly to direct water away from homes,” Knack said. “These actions can take pressure off the system at a critical time.”
