City officials plead with Calgarians to use less water amid feeder main repairs

City officials are again urging Calgarians to cut back on their water use as feeder main repairs ramp up, warning that failing to do so could jeopardize the water system and lead to boil-water advisories.

With Tuesday marking the second day of Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions in the city, officials appealed to citizens to reduce their water use by 25 per cent. 

The daily water-use target for the city is 450 million litres, but on Monday it reached 533 million litres.

Though Monday's usage level showed a 75 million-litre decrease from the day before, the city says more still needs to be done, as excess usage could jeopardize Calgary's water system as a whole.

"This drop shows that many of you are taking the right steps to limit your water use, and I want to sincerely thank you for making those adjustments,"  said Michael Thompson, the city's general manager of infrastructure services.

"However, while yesterday's numbers are heading in the right direction, they are not at the level we need to sustain our water supply.

"With the feeder main out of service, we simply do not have enough water if we do not lower our water use."

After the city revealed the Bearspaw south feeder main — the underground highway that moves 60 per cent of Calgary's treated water across the city — needs additional repairs following its rupture on June 5, Calgary and the surrounding communities that depend on its water supply have been moving through various stages of water restrictions. 

Calgary has not been under Stage 4 water restrictions — the most restrictive stage — since July 6, when officials eased back to Stage 3. 

"Water use numbers from this morning showed an increase in water use in line with what we would see under Stage 1 outdoor water restrictions, well above the threshold we are planning for," said Thompson on Tuesday.

"If you have not started to reduce your use, now is the time."

Under Stage 4 restrictions, no treated water is permitted for use outdoors.

When it comes to indoor use, there are no mandatory restrictions, but the city is asking individuals to voluntarily conserve water via these three steps:

• Limit showers to 3 minutes or less. According to a news release sent Friday, 'shortening a shower from 5 minutes to 3 minutes can save 20 litres of water.'
• Run laundry and dishwashers only when full, and reduce the number of loads washed per week.
• Flush toilets only when necessary. If using a low-flow toilet, this could save 6 litres of water per flush on average, according to the city's website.

Thompson also added that the city needs everyone's water conservation co-operation in order to make it through this newest round of restrictions.

'Dire straits' if water usage not reduced

The repair process is set to last until the end of September as crews work to repair over 20 sections of the Bearspaw south feeder main.

City officials are warning that should water use consistently exceed the 450 million-litre target, the city's reservoirs would run dry and all pressure within the system would be lost, triggering a citywide boil-water advisory. 

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"Let me be very clear. If we do not stick to water reductions, we will run out of water. That's a fact. We do not have the amount of water that we need for regular usage flowing through our system right now," said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek during Tuesday's briefing. 

"We will be in dire straits if we do not start reducing our water usage now."

Gondek added that the 25 per cent reduction in water use is to assure the city's water system retains enough water for emergency purposes, such as fighting fires and water flowing to hospitals. 

How some Calgarians feel

Some Calgarians told CBC News that while the second round of Stage 4 restrictions is frustrating, they're hoping people abide by the rules.

As a father of three children, Isaac Yule says conserving water in his household can sometimes be a challenge, but he's fine with following restrictions. 

"I like the idea that we can, as a community, work together to make something happen. My attitude is we all have to contribute something," said Yule.

"I think people are going to hopefully do what they can, and hopefully that will be enough. I guess if they tell us it's not, we'll have to buckle down and do more."

Other Calgarians say this emphasizes the need to get the feeder main fixed. 

"It's definitely disappointing to have [water restrictions] again, for sure, because we just had it … but, on the other hand, there's never any good timing," said Heather MacLeod. 

"I'd rather us get it fixed now — properly, hopefully — and not have to deal with this again."

For her, this round of restrictions will be easier to cope with because Calgarians had more notice, as opposed to June's restrictions triggered by the pipe's sudden catastrophic failure. 

Frank Deviller, a southwest Calgary resident, is also concerned about the crucial infrastructure. 

"Why didn't they fix the whole thing in the first place? … Now they're saying we might have to boil our water. That doesn't make sense," Deviller told CBC News.

He says he's typically "frugal" when it comes to water, so the ask to conserve hasn't made a significant impact on his own life. However, Deviller says he hopes people care about the city's request to voluntarily conserve water. 

"Water is important, right? We need it to live … why not be serious about it?"