Stampede organizers have figured out ways to reduce the use of treated water
Although the city has lifted its local state of emergency over its depleted water supply, the Calgary Stampede says it is still being careful in how it uses water over the 10-day event.
As the city continues work on bringing its recently repaired Bearspaw South feeder line to full capacity, Calgary remains under Stage 4 water restrictions. This means a ban on outdoor water use, such as backyard sprinklers, remain in place.
In mid-June — when the line was still being repaired and Calgarians were being asked to cut back on indoor water use — officials from the city and Calgary Emergency Management Agency said they would work with Stampede organizers to ensure the event wouldn’t tax the city’s water supply.
Shannon Greer, a spokeswoman with the Stampede, said organizers have determined ways to reduce the use of treated water and how to offset that use with non-potable water.
“As an agricultural society, the Calgary Stampede is keenly aware of the crucial role of water and its usage to support both our lifestyles and our livelihood,” Greer said. “We took action right away to look at where we were using water and how we were using water.”
She said the Stampede received permission from the Alberta government to pump untreated water from the nearby Elbow River to use for western events, grooming and cleaning purposes.
Outside the grounds, the city’s street sweepers are using non-potable water to clean up horse droppings left by Friday’s parade.
Greer said potable water has been trucked in from Bearspaw, which doesn’t tie in to Calgary’s water system, for midway attractions and games, such as the big tank of water used at the Dog Bowl.
Many Stampede-goers will likely notice four large water storage tanks on the grounds that currently sit empty, said Greer. The plan was to originally fill those with potable water from outside Calgary, but with the recent relaxation of restrictions, that measure is not required.
“Under the previous indoor water restrictions, we brought in four large water storage tanks that we planned to fill with potable water from outside the city,” she said. “These are still in place, but under the current restrictions, they’re sitting empty.
“We’re prepared to use them if the situation evolves but, at this time, they’re not needed.”