Peak Demand for Water

  Status: Monitoring

Peak demand is the highest volume of water needed during the year and is based on the average daily flow of the four consecutive days of highest demand each year. It is important for long-term planning to ensure there is enough capacity in the system to provide the community with the water it needs when it needs it.

Peak demand typically occurs during prolonged hot dry periods in summer, and usually results from a combination of increased water use for irrigation, cooling in commercial systems, and tourism/hospitality. In Saskatoon, peak demand can be twice as high as average daily demand. The water treatment system is built to provide water at peak demand, meaning that much of the time it runs at much less than maximum capacity. Increased peak demand can result in costly infrastructure upgrades to add capacity to the system.

Where are we now?

Peak demand fluctuates from year to year largely in response to local weather conditions; however, it is generally trending downward even with population and economic growth.