Water conservation
Rebates
Why collect rainwater?
- Save money on your water bill
- Keep plants healthy
- Conserve water
- Keep costs down for taxpayers by reducing the amount of water the Town must treat
The rebate
- 50% of the cost up to $50 per barrel applied to your utility bill (maximum of $100)
- Each utility account may have up to two rain barrel rebates to a maximum of $100
- You must have a utility account to qualify for a rain barrel rebate
Apply for a rebate
- Buy a rain barrel
- Submit the original receipt with your complete Rain Barrel Rebate Application form
Rain barrel tips
- Read your rain barrel set-up instructions to reduce the risk of overflows
- Learn more about rain barrels, including set up at the City of Calgary's rain barrel tips
Why get a low-flush toilet?
-
Save money on your water bill
- Keep costs down for taxpayers by reducing the amount of water the Town must treat
The rebate
- Replace your old toilet(s) (flush volume of 13L or more), with a low-flush toilet with a flush volume of 6 litres or less
- Up to $100 per toilet applied to your utility bill
- Each utility account may have up to three toilets to a maximum of $300
- You must have a utility account to qualify for the toilet rebate
Apply for a rebate
- Complete a Toilet Rebate Application form
- Attach the original receipt of the new eligible toilet
- Deliver the old toilet to the Waste Transfer Site at 5150 30 Street
- Have the toilet rebate application form stamped by Waste Transfer Station Attendant
- Bring the stamped application form with the original receipt to the Municipal Government Building at 5012 48 Avenue, Sylvan Lake
More details are available in our Environmental Rebate Policy.
All new or renovated builds must install low water use fixtures, as per bylaw
Why use backyard composter?
- To create humus (decomposed organics) for use in your garden or flower beds
- To reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill
The rebate
- 50% of the composter cost for up to $50 applied to your utility bill
- Maximum of one rebate per utility account
Apply for a rebate
- Buy a backyard composter
- Composter must not exceed 1.50 cubic metres in volume
- Submit the original receipt with your completed Composter Rebate Application form
Programs
Adopt a spot within the community and help keep Sylvan Lake beautiful. This program requires a commitment of regular, general maintenance in the adopted area from May through September.
- Volunteers must be at least 14 years of age
- Register your group's "expression of interest" online
- The group agrees to collect litter over a 2 year period, 3 times per year (spring, summer, fall)
- Apply online!
To protect the environment and ensure safety, anglers MUST now follow provincial regulations requiring ice hut identification. These new regulations are mandatory through the Province of Alberta. Ice fishing hut identification is required to identify the owner of an ice hut in the event of a littering problem or if the ice hut is not removed from the ice by the end of the ice fishing season.
Rules
- Identify all ice fishing shacks with your WiN number OR Name, Address and Phone number
- Remove all ice fishing huts when ice is still safe to do so, prior to spring breakup
- Keep the area around huts clear of garbage
- Previously registered huts through the Take It Off program are also required to follow the provincial regulations
- Report environmental complaints to the Alberta Environment and Parks at 1 800 222 6514
Learn
Trees improve overall quality of life within a community. Good planting and tree care practices will help keep our yard and boulevard trees healthy. We recommend you speak with an arborist, or staff at a reliable tree nursery, so your tree is given the best care possible.
Plant the right tree, in the right place, at the right time
Determine the purpose of the tree.
- Does your tree prefer sun or shade? Consider the Hardiness Growing Zone of the tree. Sylvan Lake is suitable for a growing zone two or three;
- What is the height or spread of the mature tree? Consider overhead wires, nearby buildings, and traffic site lines;
- The best time to plant a tree is early in spring, or late in fall;
- When planting dig a hole two to three times the diameter of the root ball, but only as deep as the root ball.
- Always remember to call before you dig, with Alberta One-Call: 1 800 242 3447
Watering your tree
Your newly planted tree will require water more often than a mature tree. The following tips will help ensure tree health and survival. Water your new tree once a week, with a deep root watering.
- Water your tree early in the morning or later in the evening, so water does not evaporate;
- Water the area around the tree where roots are, not just around the trunk;
- Wood mulch helps keep roots cool and moist;
- Water trees and shrubs just before the ground freezes, to help them survive the long winter.
Identify pests and disease
Some tree and shrub species are more prone to pests and disease than others. Learn how to detect common pests such as:
- Black Knot (Chokecherry, Pincherry and Mayday);
- Bronze Birch Borer, Bronze Leaf Disease (Aspen);
- Cottony Ash Psyllid (Black and Manchurian Ash);
- Dutch Elm Disease ( DO NOT bring elm firewood or logs into Alberta);
- Yellowheaded Spruce Sawfly.
Tree maintenance
Care for your trees regularly. A healthy tree can better fight off disease;
- Prune to remove dead, damaged, or diseased branches. Consult an expert on best pruning practices;
- A reminder that there is a Provincial Elm tree pruning ban between April 1 to September 30, to prevent Dutch Elm Disease;
- Do not allow mowers or weed eaters to damage the bark or trunk of your tree. Damage to the bark of a tree makes it easy for pests to attack, and restricts your tree's ability to access water and nutrients.
Protect your trees during construction
- Always protect trees on Town property, and try to save trees on private property
- Tree roots are often badly damaged during construction
- Consider a Tree Protection Zone to ensure damage to feeder roots does not happen
The Town of Sylvan Lake was recently one of several Alberta municipalities selected to participate in the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC) Climate Resiliency Express Program.
Through the initiative, the MCCAC and All One Sky Foundation provided support and resources to help us plan for and manage the local impacts of climate change. The final product is the Town of Sylvan Lake Climate Resilience Express Action Plan.
Risks and opportunities
The effects of climate change are already apparent in the Sylvan Lake region, and the potential impacts of climate change on the Town could have an effect on our infrastructure and services, property, the local economy and environment, and the health and lifestyles of citizens.
To better prepare for these potential impacts, we have prepared an Action Plan, which identifies some initial actions to help manage potentially significant risks and opportunities anticipated to result from climate change over the next several decades.
In total, fifteen climate-related risks and three climate-related opportunities are identified, with four priorities requiring immediate attention:
- Wind storms;
- Shoreline erosion and wildlife habitat stress;
- Overland flooding; and
- Increased water temperatures and reduced water availability
The Town of Sylvan Lake is already committed to numerous actions that help manage the above priority risks, including:
- Education and lake stewardship;
- Land use management and development approvals that consider overland flooding;
- Toilet rebate programs;
- Water monitoring on Sylvan Lake;
- Emergency response planning;
- Development of a Natural Areas Management Plan; and
- Back-up power at critical facilities.
By practicing an alternative landscaping management technique, which allows areas within our parks system to naturally grow, we're working towards self-sustainable and natural habitats.
This park naturalization will help us reach three goals:
- Improve water quality, through natural wetlands and basins.
- Increase biodiversity for healthy weed control by protecting and reintroducing native species into the natural environment and controlling invasive species.
- Reduce resources by looking for ways to improve efficiencies, and minimizing impact on the environment.
BigBelly Smart Garbage Cans
In 2023, the Parks department bought 6 BigBelly trash cans for high traffic areas. These new cans:
- Are fully enclosed to reduce windblown litter, overflowing waste, and pests
- Communicate ready-to-collect status, telling us when it’s time to collect
- Have a built-in compactor
- They can hold up to 5x the capacity of traditional bins
- Fewer collections reduce fuel consumption
Find BigBelly trash cans at:
- Centennial Park Playground
- Centennial Park Picnic Shelters
- Sylvan Lake Pier (North)
- Lakefront Park
Recycled Park Furnishings
Whenever possible the Parks department buys park furnishings made from recycled plastic. This environmentally friendly material is resistant to decay and damage for up to 50 years. Longer lasting furnishings reduce replacement costs, and the environmental cost of creating a replacement.
Volunteer Lakeshore Clean-ups
With upwards of 900,000 visitors coming to Sylvan Lake annually, sometimes it takes a few extra helping hands to keep our Lake and Lakeshore clean. The Parks department works with several volunteer groups throughout the year to organize lakeshore clean-ups including corporate groups, high schools, residents, and the Underwater Council of Alberta.
Water Recycling
Pogadl Park has water recycling infrastructure in place for our Splash Park and sports fields. The water used at the Splash Park is collected, stored, and filtered into the irrigation systems to water the sports fields.