Restrictions remain on outdoor water use, such as watering lawns or washing vehicles, while indoor use limits are voluntary.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Calgary officials say that work to repair a critical water main will take at least five to seven more days during which residents must continue restricting their water use to avoid shortages.
Calgarians were alerted Thursday that a significant break had occurred in the city’s south feeder main – its biggest – which supplies water to over 1.2 million residents as well as the nearby municipalities of Airdrie, Chestermere and Strathmore.
“When that main is off, we’re automatically taking 40 per cent of treated water to the system off the board, so we don’t have another way to supply that amount of water,” said Chris Huston, manager of drinking water distribution with the City of Calgary during a news conference Saturday morning.
Mr. Huston said crews were able to expose the damaged part of the nearly two-meter-wide pipe Friday and continued to pump water out of the surrounding area to inspect the cause of the break. He said they would be able to start cutting the pipe section Saturday for its eventual replacement.
“If everything goes really well, we’re looking at, at least, another five to seven days before the situation is resolved,” Mr. Huston said.
Nancy Mackay, the city’s director of water services, said Calgarians were able to reduce their water demand to 484 million liters, making it about even with the available supply. She encouraged residents to continue their efforts to reach a target of 480 million liters by limiting laundry loads, showers and shower time, and flushing toilets only when necessary.
“There is still a high risk that we can run out of water” unless Calgarians continue their water-saving efforts, Ms. Mackay said Saturday.
Restrictions remain on outdoor water use, such as watering lawns or washing vehicles, while indoor use limits are voluntary.
Businesses have been asked to stop using water for non-essential services. Hospitals, restaurants and businesses that use water to deliver life-sustaining products or services or to meet health-code standards are exempt. A boil-water advisory remains in place for the northwest community of Bowness.
Caryl Apolinario, a Five Guys restaurant manager at Sunridge Mall, in northeastern Calgary, said saving water has been tough. “Water is important, we have to wash our hands every now and then” to comply with food safety standards, Ms. Apolinario said.
But they try to do their part. “For the dishes and whatnot, we try to do it all at once, that way we are not wasting that much,” she said.
Sue Henry, Calgary’s head of emergency management, said her service had received 300 calls related to water misuse since Thursday and issued 61 warnings. “We’re continuing to approach citizens with an education-first approach before issuing tickets, but we will begin some enforcement actions this weekend where we’re getting repeated calls for water misuse,” she said.
Ms. Henry also asked residents not to visit the site of the water main breach as it interferes with crews’ work.
Bottled water has been flying off the shelves at several Calgary grocery stores as residents look to stock up. The Globe visited a couple of stores in the city’s southwest, where shelves were almost bare and any remaining cases of water were stacked on the floor. Similar to the pandemic panic buying of 2020, stores have placed limits on the number of bottles allowed for each customer.
Have you been affected by Calgary’s water main break?
The Globe would like to hear from the Calgarians who are being asked to conserve water as officials continue work to repair a critical water main. How are you handling the conservation efforts? What are you doing to tangibly limit your use? Share your experience below, or by sending an e-mail to audience@globeandmail.com.