The City of Saskatoon is engaging with subject matter experts with unique knowledge about water conservation and with water consumers (including Saskatoon residents, businesses and organizations) to evaluate and prioritize possible water conservation initiatives for our community. Your input will help inform development of a water conservation strategy.

We want to talk about:

• What are some barriers to participating in water conservation programming that we need to address?
• What types of water conservation programs or initiatives would you participate in?
• Which types of water conservation programs or initiatives would not work for you?
• How can we make water conservation programs accessible to everyone?

Engagement Opportunities:

What we’ve heard so far

Over the last year, we have researched water conservation strategies and programs that are working well in other Canadian cities. We are still early in the engagement process, but we look forward to sharing what we have learned so far and working with you to determine which programs or initiatives could work in Saskatoon and how we might improve them to address our needs locally.

If you have questions about water conservation or engagement opportunities, please email us or call 306-986-9784.

The City of Saskatoon is developing a water conservation strategy.  We want your help to evaluate and prioritize possible conservation programs for our community.  

Why conserve water?

Saskatoon residents, businesses, and institutions use about 40 billion litres of water each year—an average of 1,300 litres per second.  Treating and pumping that much water requires a lot of energy and that creates a lot of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  Water conservation can help us meet our emission reduction targets.

Conservation can also reduce costs for water consumers.  Households that participate in conservation programs or take other steps to use less water will pay for less water.  And by reducing demands on the City’s water infrastructure, conservation creates the potential to better manage—and in some cases defer or avoid—costly expansion projects.

How could we save water?

Cities across Canada have recognized the benefits of conserving water and many have been implementing successful programs.  Here are some examples the City is currently exploring regarding how residents, businesses, and the City could save water:

• Incentive programs to replace inefficient toilets and shower heads; an efficient toilet can save 450,000 litres over 20 years;
• Find and repair leaks in our homes and businesses; up to 13% of water in homes and 6% in businesses may be lost to leaks;
• Fix leaks in underground distribution systems; the City is testing new ways to find leaks;  
• Help businesses understand water use and reduce demand through site visits, assessments, and equipment-replacement incentives;  
• Water lawns and gardens more efficiently; and
• Keep parks healthy using less water; advanced irrigation control systems and weather monitoring technologies may be able to keep grass and trees healthy with less water.  

If we move ahead with conservation, what will be the costs?  

• The City will have costs for programs and incentives;  
• Households might have costs for water saving fixtures or appliances, such as toilets, washing machines, or shower heads; and
• Our utility, Saskatoon Water, will see reduced revenue as people save water.