Temporary water tanks helping keep residents cool during hot weather

August 18, 2020

A drink of water on a hot day is one way to help beat the heat of a Winnipeg summer. That’s why we work to have water available for residents during hot weather.

We’ve regularly placed a water tank outside the Salvation Army near Main Street at Higgins Avenue. This is the first year that an additional water tank has been placed outside of the Broadway Neighbourhood Centre. This is done in collaboration with our Office of Emergency Management, Community Services Department, and the Water and Waste Department.

“Water tanks are one part of our heat response plan and several factors are considered when determining a location for the water tank,” said Lisa Gilmour, the City’s Emergency Management Coordinator.

A water tank was brought to the Broadway Neighbourhood Centre in June and has since become quite popular in the community.

“People are coming from all over to use the tank to rehydrate and cool down,” said Lawrence “Spatch” Mulhall, the Broadway Neighbourhood Centre’s Executive Director..

Spatch said the Centre has made disposable cups available for the public to use and other community organizations in the area have also let their people who use their services know about the water tank.

“This has been a life saver for us,” he said. “It took the stress off people looking for a guaranteed water source.”

While the tank is on site temporarily during the hot weather, Spatch said it has shown him there is a need for something more permanent, which the Centre is now going to look into.