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GordonThree's avatar
GordonThree
Explorer
Jun 09, 2014

Drinking water on Alberta rte 40?

Does anyone know where I can fill up my water jugs along Alberta's route 40, south of Grand Cache. (Free or a reasonable rate, none of this $1 per liter rip-off)

I'm at Pierre Grey Lakes right now, and their pump wells all have DO NOT DRINK signs on them, not just a boil water... They're probably contaminated by all the fracking going on nearby.

6 Replies

  • In Grande Cache, fill your jug at the tourist info on the south end of town. Or buy a jug at the supermarket. I'm sure you could fill your tank at the RV park, northwest corner of town.

    In Jasper of all places, in early spring the park waterworks is turned off due to pipe freezing hazard. The only place to fill tanks is the gas station on the west side of town. I make a point of buying gas there. Incidentally, gas prices were exactly the same in Jasper, Hinton and Grande Cache in May.
  • I'd say its more of a safety thing than a guarantee of contamination. It's spring run off time in my area (Hinton/Grand Cache/Jasper) which usually means dirty water.
    As someone mentioned there is a fill up from municipal water (and a dump station) behind the CDN Tire in Hinton. As well as a dump station and fill location at the Hinton Center Campground right in the heart of town.
    Not sure about Grand Cache, but that whole corridor is very busy with RVr's so I'm sure there is something there in town. Stop at their Recreation Center and ask.
    There is also Gregg Lake Campground, part of William A. Switzer Provincial Park, which has water and electric hook up sites, and is still outside of Hinton. Uncertain as to the water quality in Gregg, as I haven't been up there yet this year.
  • joe b. wrote:
    I often fuel up in Grand Cache and have never had any problems taking on water. The town has a good water system from what we have experienced. The municipal campground is also very nice, has water, electric and a sani dump with some full hookup sites as I remember. Never had a problem with finding free drinking water with a fuel fill up in that area. We often stay at the KOA just out of Hinton, one of the finest in the franchise, IMHO. They too have excellent water, so often we will leave there with a full tank in the RV and won't need any additional water for a few days or so.


    I guess the attendant was having a bad day, probably overwhelmed by the line of RV's from his pumps out into the roadway. He said to me when I asked "no fill no water". Rather than argue with him or just ignore him and haul my jugs into the bathroom, I carried on... didn't expect contaminated water at an Alberta provincial campground, after having such good water in BC and Yukon.
  • I often fuel up in Grand Cache and have never had any problems taking on water. The town has a good water system from what we have experienced. The municipal campground is also very nice, has water, electric and a sani dump with some full hookup sites as I remember. Never had a problem with finding free drinking water with a fuel fill up in that area. We often stay at the KOA just out of Hinton, one of the finest in the franchise, IMHO. They too have excellent water, so often we will leave there with a full tank in the RV and won't need any additional water for a few days or so.
  • firemedic1992 wrote:
    I know you can fill up behind the Canadian Tire in Hinton for free.


    Thanks ... I'm about 30k from Grand Cache, so I guess I could drive back that way. It was a mad house when I rolled into town, with about 30 other RVs and monster truck pickups. I don't know where they all went, Grey Lakes is all but empty, despite being half closed.

    Scouring the Internet, there doesn't seem to be anything within a few K. I can drink pop, milk and OJ, the dog can have the rest of the drinking water. I have full hookups waiting in Jasper, just two days away.