One day after Calgary emergency officials confirmed a rough timeline for when repairs will be completed on a crucial water main, the city’s mayor reiterated that conservation efforts must continue until the water supply returns to normal.
“I know it’s tough to watch your clothes pile up,” Mayor Jyoti Gondek said as she delivered an on-camera statement on Wednesday morning. “I know it’s tough to look in the mirror sometimes and see some pretty sad, droopy hair. But it’s critical.
“You and I, and all the people and the pets and the plants that we love so much, need water to survive. It is absolutely our source of life. And that’s worth the sacrifice that all of you are making.”
One week ago, a significant water main break occurred in northwest Calgary, triggering a boil water advisory for one neighbourhood that was lifted Monday.
As a result of the break, Calgarians across the entire city were told to stop using water outdoors and do their best to minimize indoor water use.
City officials have described the broken feeder main as a “critical water transmission line.” They note the damage has “severely impacted” Calgary’s water supply and the ability to move water across the city.
They have also warned that supply may not be able to meet demand without conservation efforts from Calgarians.
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Officials have said they hope to have repairs, which include installing a new pipe, completed sometime on Thursday, but noted it would then still likely take several days of flushing and testing for the situation to be resolved. A timeline for lifting water restrictions has not yet been determined.
“We do not have a date for the restoration of the service,” Nancy Mackay, the city’s director of water services, said Tuesday. “However, based on the information we have now, I expect to be able to share a closer date mid-next week.”
The city remains under a fire ban as officials aim to mitigate the risk of fire crews requiring large amounts of water for fires or other unforeseen circumstances until water services return to normal.
Gondek said Wednesday that preliminary data suggests the city used about 480 million litres of water on Tuesday, up slightly from the day before. However, she also noted that figure is about 100 million litres less than what Calgarians normally use in a day at this time of year.
“Because you have been so committed to conserving water, we remain in a pretty stable place in terms of our water supply,” she said before noting “we are not quite out of the woods yet.”
To conserve water, city officials have suggested Calgarians do things like shorten showers and flush toilets less frequently.
On Wednesday, Gondek said she has heard of other unique water-saving methods that some Calgarians are embracing.
“Some of you are making low-prep meals like sandwiches and some of you are barbecuing to cut down on the number of dishes you need to use,” she said. “Some of you are doing things like using your leftover pasta water for your garden.
“I can tell you that we’ve got a bit of a competition going on in my office where people are talking about using rubber spatulas to scrape their plates instead of rinsing. We have folks who are using the bucket or cup method to do replacement showers — especially hairwashing.
“All of you are doing an exceptional job.”
Gondek is scheduled to hold a news conference at the city’s Emergency Operations Centre at 2 p.m. local time, where she and other city officials will provide an update on the situation.
For the latest updates from the City of Calgary, you can follow the city’s social media channels or click on its website here.
For the latest Alberta Emergency Alerts, you can click on the province’s website here.
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