Calgary’s daily water use increased to a level deemed unsustainable for the first time since restrictions on water consumption were imposed last week.
On Sunday, Calgary and surrounding communities used 504 million litres of water, ending a six-day streak of water use under the city-imposed daily threshold of 500 million litres.
According to city officials, “a small uptick” was anticipated as Sundays typically see higher use.
“We get it, and one day in the red does not undo the excellent work we all did through last week,” City of Calgary Infrastructure Services general manager Michael Thompson said Monday.
“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.”
The latest round of water restrictions took effect on March 9 as city crews shut down the Bearspaw feeder main for a series of reinforcement repairs following two catastrophic failures in less than two years.
While the feeder main is out of service, as it typically carries 60 per cent of the city’s treated water supply, city officials are urging Calgarians to find ways to save 25 litres of water per day.
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Officials recommend skipping toilet flushes, shortening showers to three minutes or less and only running dishwashers and washing machines with a full load.
At YMCA Calgary, staff are taking a number of measures to reduce water consumption with 85 per cent of the facilities’ water use attributed to showers.
“We’re saving about 15,000 litres a day and we’re doing that mostly by taking to our members,” said YMCA Calgary’s operations vice-president Nick Wiggins.
“That three-minute shower recommendation the city has provided, that’s what we’re encouraging our members to do.”
According to city officials, there were two incidents over the weekend that highlighted the importance of water conservation during the feeder main repairs, including a now lifted boil-water advisory in Spruce Cliff and parts of Wildwood and Rosscarrock.
Thompson said crews needed to flush water through pipes and fire hydrants before the advisory could be lifted, which used two million litres of water over three days.
A large fire in the Manchester Industrial Park early Monday morning also required about seven million litres of water to extinguish, Thompson said.
“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,” Thompson said.
“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.”
Meanwhile, repairs continue on nine segments of the Bearspaw feeder main along 16 Avenue near Sarcee Trail, as well as in Point McKay Park.
City officials said the pipe is now drained, and trench boxes have been installed along the nine segments of pipe that need reinforcement. The first two concrete encasement pours began on Monday, with more planned throughout the rest of the week, city officials said.
“This is difficult work, it’s precise work, and it’s work that is happening around the clock,” Calgary mayor Jeromy Farkas told reporters.
“Even in weather like we’ve seen recently, crews are out there every day making progress and moving this project forward.”
Work is expected to last until April 9 — a “temporary inconvenience,” according to Farkas, until the feeder main’s replacement is complete by the end of the year.
City administration has budgeted $40 million for the repairs to the feeder main as part of a request for $609 million in additional funding for water infrastructure. That funding request will be decided by Calgary city council during a meeting on Tuesday.
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