Calgary’s water demand exceeds supply as main line is closed for repairs

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If water consumption exceeds supply capacity, the city faces a real risk of water shortages, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said on Tuesday.

Bearspaw’s south main was closed Tuesday for emergency repairs, draining water and weeks of construction work, city officials said.

While Calgary residents were asked to reduce their daily consumption to 450 million litres, demand on Monday was around 533 million litres.

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“We will be in big trouble if we don’t start reducing our water consumption now,” Gondek said at a press conference.

“Let me be very clear: If we don’t stick to water reduction, we will run out of water – that’s a fact,” she said.

Michael Thompson, the city’s general manager of infrastructure services, pointed out that although water consumption on Monday was above the limit, it was down by 75 million litres compared to Sunday, before Level 4 restrictions came into force.

“Yesterday’s numbers are pointing in the right direction, but are not at the level we need to maintain our water supply,” Thompson said.

In normal times, he says, the city relies on Bearspaw’s now-defunct southern main to transport about 60 percent of the water from Bearspaw’s treatment plant to residents and businesses.

Authorities reiterated previous warnings to observe prescribed outdoor water restrictions and reduce indoor consumption to avoid depleting the city’s underground water reserves.

If these storage tanks run dry, important services would be at risk, officials warned.

“Hospitals and firefighters rely on us to reduce our water use so they have enough water when they need it in an emergency,” Gondek said.

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Empty reservoirs would also lead to a drop in the pressure that is “crucial” for drinking water quality.

“Without (pressure), contaminants can enter the system, potentially leading to a boil water advisory,” Francois Bouchart, Calgary’s director of capital priorities and investments, said Monday.

The water restrictions were put in place Monday as workers prepared 21 work sites along the crucial water pipeline in northwest Calgary, which runs from the Bearspaw wastewater treatment plant east along the north bank of the Bow River.

13 of these locations are located on 33rd Avenue NW in Bowness.

On Sunday and Monday, workers began erecting fences around the areas being excavated on 33rd Avenue NW and Shouldice Park, Bouchart said at Tuesday’s news conference.

Equipment was set up at five locations on Tuesday to “pump dry” the main line. The emptying will take 24 to 48 hours.

“The next step is to start excavating to expose the pipe. This can begin once the pressure in the pipe is released,” Bouchart said.

The total number of locations reflects problem spots along the main delivery line identified by specialized equipment called pipe divers used to inspect the line. On the evening of June 5, the line failed catastrophically, cutting off water to some neighborhoods and causing low water pressure elsewhere. This quickly led to an earlier round of water restrictions and repairs to the main delivery line.

Although there is no imminent threat of a break in the 21 sections of the water main being repaired, Gondek said earlier this month there were signs of weakness in the line, so to avoid another catastrophic break the city decided to make the repairs now.

Due to Level 4 water restrictions, any outdoor use is prohibited.

At the same time, Calgary residents are being asked to shower less often in their homes, flush toilets, take longer and less frequent showers, and only wash full loads of dishes and laundry.

“If we want to keep water flowing from all our faucets, we need to think back to June when we came together and did so much to reduce our indoor water use,” Gondek said Tuesday.

Check out the city’s update from Tuesday here:

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Some outdoor pools will remain open until September 2nd

City-operated splash pools and outdoor water playgrounds were closed ahead of Stage 4 restrictions, but pools operated by the Calgary Outdoor Swimming Pools Association (COSPA) will remain open until Sept. 2, according to the organization’s website.

Riley Harper, COSPA’s executive director, said Tuesday that they have been in ongoing discussions with the city throughout the water crisis.

The most important restriction for the association’s eight outdoor swimming pools is that they are not allowed to use the city’s water for filling.

They will also adjust some cleaning routines, recommend that swimmers take shorter showers and reschedule certain maintenance tasks to save water.

Harper says if they need to refill their systems, they will get water from outside the city.

When the time comes to empty the pools – which would normally be the case – Harper is in favor of putting the water to better use.

“In a water crisis, not a drop should be wasted… whether it is potable or not,” he said.

The water is chlorinated and therefore not safe to drink, but Harper suggested it could be used to clean streets or fill fire trucks.

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“If it can be used for anything, it will be used.”

One of the group’s facilities, the South Calgary Outdoor Pool, will remain open until Sept. 22 as a sort of “pilot” off-season, according to Harper. The pools and locker rooms are heated.

“We’re just going to encourage the people of Calgary to give us a try.”

Pools typically open in mid-June, but this year they’re opening about a month later due to water restrictions, and Labor Day falls on the pools’ last weekend, as usual, Harper said.

— With files from Ricky Leong

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