Charlottetown wants residents to remove water-powered sump pumps

The City of Charlottetown is reminding peopleto remove water-powered sump pumps from their homes.

The city cautioned against using the pumps a few years ago, but officials said many are still in use.

Joshua McInnis,manager of Charlottetown's water and sewer utility, said the city wants residentsto remove the pumps as soon as possiblebecause they draw waterfrom the city'ssupply.

"Typically, it's a two-to-one ratio with these pumps. Some of them are a little bit different, but it'll use a litre of water to pump out two litres of water," McInnis said.

"If it's an extremely heavy kind of rain event and you're having a lot of water within your basement, [the pump] could consume a significant amount of water."

The city saidthis typeof sump pump became more popular after post-tropical storm Fionabecause it doesn't rely on electricity when the power is out.

The pump uses municipal water to create a vacuum that pulls water out of the flooded area beforepumpingit out of thehouse.

If the municipal water supply is depleted, McInnis said it can affect the day-to-day livesof residents.

"That's our drinking water, that's our potable water," he said.

"If you want to go to the tap and take a drink or if you need to have a shower, if we're shy on water, that limits what we can do and what we can supply."

Pumps can increase water bills

McInnis said water-powered sump pumps can alsocause a spike in residents'water billssince they use water to pump out water.

"Typically, they'll come to us to reason out why their bill is so high, and we'll go through a process of elimination," he said.

"If it comes to light that this is the cause in the house, then we'll ask them to have it uninstalled, and that should decrease their water bill."

McInnis said if residents don't see any electrical wiring coming out of theirsump pump, there's a chance it'swater-powered. He recommends calling a plumber to install a sump pump that meets the needs of your home.

The city said it does not plan to issue fines to anyone still using a water-powered sump pump.