‘The idea that some of you have given up on conserving water just goes against everything that I know Calgarians to be’
Calgary’s mayor says a continuing spike in water use suggests some residents have “given up,” as work to restore a ruptured feeder main to full service enters its final days.
“It feels a little bit like some of you have given up, Calgary. And it feels like you’ve given up before the best-case scenario that we would be able to restore water usage by July 1,” Gondek said Friday afternoon.
“The idea that some of you have given up on conserving water just goes against everything that I know Calgarians to be.”
The mayor and city officials repeatedly stressed that while site repairs and repaving on 16th Avenue N.W. are complete, significant work remains before the line is fully operational and lifting of restrictions can be considered.
Filling of the feeder main was expected to be completed late Friday, with flushing of the system to follow Saturday. About seven million litres of water was used to refill the feeder main.
“Some people may be a little tired right now, some people may be over this,” Gondek said in appealing for continued conservation efforts.
“We are not done yet. We are not in a stage where you can stop saving water.”
City officials have set 480 million litres as the maximum daily threshold for water consumption.
“If we continue on this trend, our ability to protect life and property will be compromised,” Henry said.
Crews were delayed in filling the pipe Friday but that work was expected to be completed late in the day.
Water services director Nancy Mackay said water used to fill the main will be flushed through the system Saturday to remove sediment before it’s de-chlorinated and then pumped into the Bow River.
Once flushing is complete, Alberta Health Services’ testing of water samples is expected to take at least another 24 hours.
“If we are not satisfied with these results, we will be working with the City of Calgary to consider other options. This may include additional flushing,” said Dr. Franco Rizzuti. “Our priority is to ensure safe, clean water for Calgarians and our regional partners to drink, and to ensure public health and safety.”
The final stage would involve increasing water flow in the feeder main by raising pressure levels needed for full operations. Only then will easing of water restrictions be considered.
The riverside pathway at Edworthy Park will be detoured and three areas closed to public access, including the north parking lot at Point McKay, as work continues over the long weekend.
CEMA’s Henry said bylaw officers have now issued 18 tickets and more than 900 verbal warnings from almost 2,900 water-use complaints. Six tickets and 35 written warnings have been issued for violations of the continuing citywide fire ban.