CALGARY – The resumption of normal water supplies in Calgary could be delayed another three to five weeks.
The city says “significant” additional damage has been found in the main line that ruptured last week and additional sections of the line will need to be repaired.
It states that the additional repairs will be carried out while the pipe is bare and dry to avoid the risk of another major break.
Sue Henry of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency says the decision was not made lightly, even if this was not the news they wanted to share.
The city says Calgary residents will need to continue their water conservation measures longer than expected to ensure emergency reserves are not depleted.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek had previously suggested workarounds, such as refraining from shaving and collecting rainwater in children’s pools.
Gondek said Calgary residents are doing their part to conserve water, but need to do a little more as workers rush to repair the water main break that is drastically affecting the flow of water to the city’s underground reservoirs.
“We are making suggestions to you and are counting on your goodwill to reduce your indoor water consumption,” Gondek said at a press conference on Friday.
“I am concerned about our city and the surrounding communities. If our water consumption continues to rise and the water supply cannot keep up, the taps will eventually run dry.”
Calgary, a city of 1.6 million people, and some surrounding communities, including Airdrie and Chestermere, have had both mandatory and voluntary water restriction measures in place since a major water main ruptured in northwest Calgary.
Residents have been asked to reduce their water consumption indoors through measures such as taking shorter showers and flushing toilets less, while watering outdoors is prohibited.
Gondek said no one was judging people who did not wash their hair or drove around in dirty trucks while the restrictions were in place.
“You don’t have to wash your car,” she said.
“When refueling, use the puller at the gas station.
“We are all in water saving mode.“
She also urged people to take advantage of the rain forecast for this weekend to collect water in containers or paddling pools.
“You can use it on days when it doesn’t rain, for example for your garden, and you can use it for purposes where you don’t need clean drinking water,” she said.
Gondek confirmed that the city has received complaints about golf courses being observed spraying grass with water and about city workers in trucks being seen watering trees.
However, she said this was happening with untreated water, which was not safe to drink, and that it would not affect the availability of treated water.
“It is not drinking water or recycled water,” she said.
Calgary reported that water consumption in recent days has exceeded the amount rationed by the city. On Thursday, consumption of over 480 million litres was recorded, while the previous day it was well above the limit.
Anything above the limit means Calgary is using more water than it can produce and will eventually run out.
Peter Brown, the mayor of Airdrie, whose water supply comes from Calgary, said reducing water use by turning off the faucet when washing hands is a simple request.
“In Airdrie, like Calgary, we are a little behind and we want to remind everyone to conserve water,” he said.
“As you heard from the mayor, there are countless ways we can all do.”
Repairing the cracked pipe, which is large enough for a car to drive through, involves welding in a replacement pipe and cleaning and testing it.
Repair work on the line was briefly halted earlier this week after two workers were injured.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2024.
— by Fakiha Baig in Edmonton
The Canadian Press
