Calgarians’ Water Use Still Above Sustainable Levels Despite Pleas To Conserve

Despite pleas from nan City of Calgary for residents to trim backmost connected their h2o use, nan latest information shows regular water request is still supra sustainable levels.

The metropolis says Calgarians consumed 507 cardinal litres connected Wednesday, which is 22 cardinal litres supra nan sustainable level of 485 million.

Pleas for residents to conserve h2o were issued pursuing nan Dec. 30, 2025 rupture of nan Bearspaw South Feeder Main, which usually supplies astir 60 per cent of nan city’s drinking water.

The metropolis expects to person nan tube backmost successful cognition adjacent week, but successful nan meantime, it has had to trust connected nan overmuch smaller Glenmore Water Treatment Plant, which is operating astatine adjacent to 3 times its normal wintertime capacity, to proviso nan bulk of nan city’s water.

An Alberta Emergency Alert that was sent retired earlier this week besides asks residents of respective surrounding communities that trust connected Calgary’s h2o supply, including Airdrie, Strathmore, Chestermere and nan Tsuut’ina Nation, to conserve water.

Among nan steps residents are being asked to return to conserve water are limiting showers to 3 minutes, only moving washing machines and dishwashers pinch afloat loads and flushing toilets only erstwhile needed.

Emergency officials person besides warned that if h2o usage continues astatine unsustainable levels, it may impact nan city’s expertise to supply immoderate basal services, specified arsenic firefighting.

On Wednesday, metropolis crews vanished installing a caller portion of tube to switch nan 1 that ruptured; however, there’s still much activity to do earlier nan tube is fresh to person h2o pumped done it.

The metropolis says that moreover aft nan emergency repairs connected nan strategy are finished, the feeder main will request to beryllium operated astatine reduced capacity, pinch little h2o flowing done it, successful an effort to limit nan chance of different catastrophic rupture.

Municipal officials opportunity location will besides request to beryllium early impermanent h2o restrictions put successful spot astatine times, erstwhile location is much runoff available, while metropolis crews proceed activity connected replacing nan full Bearspaw South Feeder Main.

On Wednesday, an independent report into a June 2024 rupture of nan aforesaid h2o pipe said nan metropolis has been alert of nan problems pinch nan tube for much than 2 decades, but had prioritized spending connected different infrastructure projects complete repairs and upgrades to nan city’s h2o system.

The metropolis has scheduled a news convention for 1 p.m. connected Thursday to supply an update connected h2o usage and repairs.