Calgarians could be watering their lawns Thursday given the progress being made on increasing the rate of water flow through the northwest feeder system, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said Wednesday.
Since an additional pump was activated Monday at the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant, hiking the speed of flow from 55 per cent to 70 per cent of normal levels, the repaired sections of water feeder main have shown no signs of failure, she said.
“At the moment, it looks like the pipe has been able to manage the increased speed of flow and work the water team did to turn on the additional pump has paid off as they were able to successfully minimize any pressure spikes,” said Gondek.
“The water team tells me they remain on track to potentially move to Stage 2 on Thursday.”
Moving from Stage 3 to Stage 2 would allow the outdoor use of sprinklers and hoses for one hour a week on a rotating basis, practises prohibited soon after a crucial feeder water main in Montgomery ruptured June 5.
It’s possible the city could move to Stage 1 restriction on Monday, which would push the outdoor water use to two hours per week.
Later in June, the city identified five other sites along the same line that required repair, a discovery that extended the imposition of water restrictions.
Gardeners and those in the landscaping and irrigation industry say that’s placed a heavy financial burden on them and compromised the health of trees and shrubs that are under severe stress amid a heat wave.
Last week, city workers detected the failure of three reinforcing wires at separate spots along the newly-repaired line, a phenomenon that hasn’t spread in the last few days, said the mayor.
“We have not detected any new wire snaps,” said Gondek, adding the city is continuing to closely monitor the impacts of increased water pressure on the northwest feeder water main network.
Last week, the city allowed the filling of private outdoor pools in an effort to allow Calgarians to cool off in temperatures that have at times exceeded 30C.
The current heat wave is expected to extend into next week with forecast highs in the mid-30C range.
-more to come
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