Stony Plain is under a flood advisory, and the town is telling everyone to stop using water they don't need.
Heavy rain over the past 24 hours has overwhelmed the wastewater system, and sewer backups are already hitting homes and businesses. The Alberta Emergency Alert, an overland flow flood advisory, went out at 7:14 p.m. on June 21 and covers the entire town. It holds until further notice.
What to do right now
Cut all non-essential water use. No laundry, no dishwasher, no showers, and flush only when you have to. Businesses are told to reduce water use and wastewater discharge where they can. Stay away from creeks, stormwater ponds, and any area where water is pooling.
Roads, sidewalks, and pathways are all still open.
The rain behind it
Environment Canada has a rainfall warning up across the Edmonton region. By early Sunday evening, up to 110 mm had already fallen, with storm totals expected to reach 75 to 150 mm before the rain eases off Monday. The agency is warning of pooling water on roads, possible property damage, and washouts near creeks and culverts. That is the volume Stony Plain's sewers are trying to keep up with.
Why the sewers back up
The problem is simple: the system is getting more water than it can handle. When rain comes faster than the pipes can drain to treatment, the overflow forces its way back up through the lowest opening it can find, often a basement floor drain or toilet.
Signs your home is at risk
Watch for gurgling drains or toilets when no water is running, several drains running slow at once, a sewage smell from a floor drain, or water rising in a basement drain on its own.
If you see any of that, stop using water and call Stony Plain Public Works. After hours, the emergency line is 780-818-6766. The daytime line is 780-963-2469.
If sewage is already inside, don't touch it bare-handed. Keep kids and pets away, photograph the damage, and call your insurer. Backup coverage is common on Alberta home policies but the limits vary, so check yours. If you have a backwater valve, make sure it's clear. It's the main thing keeping sewage out of your floor drain.
Stony Plain isn't the only town affected
Stony Plain is one of several communities that told residents to cut water use as the storm overwhelmed local systems. St. Albert, Beaumont, and Leduc County issued similar advisories earlier Sunday, all pointing to the same cause: more rain than the wastewater network could move at once.
Stony Plain has flooded before
Stony Plain has faced similar flooding before. After the 2019 floods, the town added a separate stormwater fee in 2020, a flat per-door charge to pay for upgrades those storms showed were needed. Even with that work, a fast, heavy rain can still overwhelm the network.
What happens next
No timeline has been given. The alert holds until the town says the system is back to normal. Updates are going up at stonyplain.com/news and on the Town of Stony Plain Facebook page. To report a backup, call 780-818-6766.
Sources:
Alberta Emergency Alert, Town of Stony Plain overland flow flood advisory, June 21, 2026 at 19:14 HRS (alberta.ca/aea/cap/2026/06/21)
Environment Canada, rainfall warning for the Edmonton region, June 21, 2026 (weather.gc.ca)
Alberta Emergency Alert, water supply advisories for St. Albert, Beaumont, and Leduc County, June 21, 2026 (alberta.ca/alberta-emergency-alert)
Town of Stony Plain, Utilities and Water page (stonyplain.com/en/live/utilities-and-water.aspx)
Town of Stony Plain, Public Works after-hours emergency line (stonyplain.com)
