Calgary’s daily water consumption reached 504 million litres on Sunday, surpassing the city’s sustainability threshold of 500 million litres for the first time since restrictions began last week. This ended a six-day streak of compliance across Calgary and nearby areas.
Expected Uptick Amid Ongoing Conservation
City officials anticipated a slight increase on Sunday, as weekends often see higher demand. Michael Thompson, general manager of City of Calgary Infrastructure Services, stated on Monday, “We get it, and one day in the red does not undo the excellent work we all did through last week. We still have three weeks to go before the feeder main is back in service, so today, I want to ask you to start week two strong.”
Bearspaw Feeder Main Repairs Drive Restrictions
Water limits took effect on March 9 after crews shut down the Bearspaw feeder main, which supplies 60% of the city’s treated water, for reinforcement work following two major failures in under two years. Residents face calls to cut usage by 25 litres per person daily through measures like skipping some toilet flushes, limiting showers to three minutes, and running dishwashers or washers only when full.
Community Efforts Cut Consumption
At YMCA Calgary, where showers account for 85% of water use, staff save about 15,000 litres daily by promoting the city’s three-minute shower guideline. Operations vice-president Nick Wiggins noted, “We’re saving about 15,000 litres a day and we’re doing that mostly by talking to our members. That three-minute shower recommendation the city has provided, that’s what we’re encouraging our members to do.”
Weekend Incidents Strain Supplies
Two events over the weekend underscored conservation needs. A boil-water advisory in Spruce Cliff, parts of Wildwood, and Rosscarrock required flushing pipes and hydrants, consuming two million litres over three days before lifting. Early Monday, a large fire in Manchester Industrial Park demanded seven million litres to extinguish.
Thompson emphasized, “These are the kinds of situations that make it so important that we have a sufficient supply of treated water in our underground storage tanks. Because of the actions you took last week to save water, we had enough available in our underground storage tanks to deal with these two issues.”
Repairs Progress Around the Clock
Crews advance on nine segments of the Bearspaw feeder main along 16 Avenue near Sarcee Trail and in Point McKay Park. The pipe now stands drained with trench boxes installed, and initial concrete encasements began Monday, with more scheduled this week.
Mayor Jeromy Farkas described the effort to reporters: “This is difficult work, it’s precise work, and it’s work that is happening around the clock. Even in weather like we’ve seen recently, crews are out there every day making progress and moving this project forward.” Repairs target completion by April 9, serving as a temporary measure until full replacement finishes by year-end.
City administration allocates $40 million for these fixes within a $609 million water infrastructure funding request, set for council review on Tuesday.
