Calgary officials continue to call for reduced water use as repair work hits halfway mark

Calgary officials are continuing their call for water conservation, while expressing their appreciation to Calgarians for their efforts in reducing how often they run the taps, as repairs hit the halfway mark on a critical water main.

Repair work on the Bearspaw feeder main is on track, with water restrictions set to ease by Sept. 26 barring any major problems arising, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said at a news conference Monday morning.

Work along 33rd Avenue N.W. is nearly finished, with three of the four repair sites in the final stages of backfilling and paving the road.

The mayor also emphasized that businesses along 16th Avenue N.W., where additional repair work is ongoing, are still open.

"They could sure use your support," Gondek said. "Please know that they are eager to serve you. Go out and do some of your local shopping there."

Construction and repairs

Work to repair the feeder main, a critical piece of infrastructure that supplies the majority of Calgary's water, remains on schedule for completion by the estimated date of Sept. 23.

It's expected that it'll be back in service fully once it's fully flushed out — two days after work to fix the pipe is finished.

At an afternoon news conference, Francois Bouchart, the city's director of capital priorities and investment, said crews have completed repairs on 14 of the 21 segments.

"As we continue our repair work, we ask that Calgarians be mindful of their speed to ensure the safety of the public and workers on site Bouchart said.

Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong said earlier on Monday that if the city doesn't reduce its water use, it could have far-reaching impacts on some businesses.

"If we have to step up the water restrictions, that just simply means businesses may end up having to again shut down," he said.

Water use above sustainable levels, city says

The city used 509 million litres of water on Sunday, up from 496 million litres the previous day and after a week of consistent daily use at or above 500 million litres.

The city says it cannot sustain distributing more than 500 million litres of water across Calgary per day without significant risk to its water system.

Its target is less than 485 million litres of daily water use, a figure officials say the city's water system can sustain until the major feeder main comes back online later this month.

Using more than 485 million litres per day puts strain on Calgary's water infrastructure, officials say.

The Glenmore water treatment facility is producing approximately 70 per cent of the city's water supply, officials say, more than double what it typically handles around this time of year.

"I want to reemphasize the fact that we are stressing our system by having a demand that is above 500 million litres," Francois Bouchart, the city's director of capital invesments said during a news conference on Monday afternoon.

"What we're doing is pushing our Glenmore plant to its full capacity. It means that we have to defer some of the work that we would normally do. And the risk is there that if we have a failure that we can't resolve very quickly, we could quickly precipitate into a crisis."

The mayor said if a major issue arises at the Glenmore plant, Calgary could be thrust back into emergency conditions, similar to the ones seen in June, when the Bearspaw feeder main ruptured catastrophically.

Calgary has been under Stage 4 outdoor water use restrictions since August 26. This means no potable water use is permitted outside the home.

Since repairs began, there have been 413 complaints involving residential use, 275 for commercial use and 126 for multifamily use. 

The city says it has handed out 29 violation tickets, including 23 for residents, four for commercial and two for multifamily — each of which amounts to $3,000.