Calgary’s mayor has given citizens the go-ahead to begin easing their indoor water saving measures and slowly return to normal water use inside their home.
Jyoti Gondek made the announcement on Tuesday, saying it’s expected they’ll be able to lift Calgary’s local state of emergency later this week, if all continues to go well.
“Until then, please ease yourself into regular water use in your homes, and remember that outdoor water restrictions still apply, as does the fire ban.”
Infrastructure services general manager Michael Thompson acknowledged the milestone is an exciting one for Calgarians who have been practicing water conservation in their homes and at their businesses.
“The Bearspaw South feeder main is now back in service for the first time since June 5,” he said.
“It is operating at 50 per cent capacity as we continue to stabilize the system, and we need to reduce the demand we have placed on the Glenmore water treatment plant over the last month.
“We need Calgarians’ support to avoid providing too much strain on the system.”
The mayor took a moment at Tuesday’s update to thank residents for their help during the water crisis.
“I am in awe of the work that all of you did for the last 26 days,” Gondek said.
“For almost an entire month, you have gone above and beyond to keep our water usage low, and you ensured that we had safe drinking water during this crisis, and that our firefighters, doctors and nurses were never without the water they needed to do their jobs, and I cannot thank you enough for every action you have taken.”
Alberta’s Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver also thanked Calgarians for their efforts to conserve water.
“Your resilience and understanding have been indispensable,” he said.
Though he warned Calgarians aren’t “completely out of the woods yet,” he said times like these “truly remind us what community is all about.”
The City of Calgary will provide another water main update at 12:15 p.m. MT on Tuesday, July 2, which will be streamed live in this article.