Mayor Jyoti Gondek is expected to announce Monday morning whether or not the city will move to Stage 1 water restrictions
There may be another sigh of relief for those with lawns and gardens in Calgary on Monday as the city eyes a further easing of water restrictions.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek is expected to announce Monday morning whether or not the city will move to Stage 1 restrictions.
The shift to Stage 2 marked the first time since the Bearspaw feeder main ruptured on June 5 that Calgarians were allowed to use sprinklers.
“It’s basically just like a big a big heat dome, hot, hazy and there’s a touch of humidity in the air as well,” he said.
Monday could see a daytime high of 32 C, followed by 34 C on Tuesday and 33 C on Wednesday — Thursday and Friday should be a slight reprieve for Calgary, at 27 C and 24 C respectively.
After what Van Lochem referred to as a “fairly wet” April, May and early June, July has been drier so far, receiving 40 millimetres of precipitation in the first week of the month and next to nothing since. The average total precipitation for July is 65 millimetres.
“Definitely below normal, depends if we can erase that 25-millimetre deficit by the end of the month . . . potentially if we get the system coming in next week,” he said.
Calgary had a slight haze from wildfire smoke on Sunday, but not enough to affect air quality in the lower atmosphere.
Montgomery water main repair expected to be complete end of Sunday
City officials say that break — despite being near the original June 5 feeder main break — is not directly connected to the feeder main.
“Our crews are on site right now working on that repair and they expect it to be finished later today (Sunday),” said city water services director Nancy Mackay.
Monitoring of the repaired Bearspaw south feeder main revealed one new wire snap on Saturday, bringing the total to five since the pipe was brought back into service, according to Mackay.
“This snap does not mean that another break in the critical feeder main is imminent; however, it does mean that our continued monitoring remains important,” she said.
Water was flowing through the repaired feeder main at 70 per cent of its maximum capacity on Sunday, meeting demand for Calgary. The city consumed 641 million litres of water on Saturday.
‘Get the most out of your watering’: city
Current Stage 2 watering restrictions allow for one hour per week of residential sprinkler or soaker hose use, attached to a schedule determined by one’s house address.
Those with odd-numbered addresses can use their sprinkler systems for up to one hour on Thursday or Sunday, and those with even-numbered addresses can do so on Wednesday or Saturday.
“We ask that you water in the morning or in the evening, avoiding the warmest hours in the afternoon,” said Mackay on Saturday. “This will minimize evaporation and get the most out of your watering.”
There are other ways that allow Calgarians to water at any time — on any day of the week — such as using a hose fitted with a “trigger” spray nozzle or drip irrigation with automatic shutoff, according to Mackay.
“This is because hoses with spraying nozzles automatically shut off when they’re not in active use, so they tend to use less water,” she said.
The city has continued to monitor the Bearspaw south feeder main through the weekend, along with water supply and demand, which will inform Monday’s decision.
A move to Stage 1 would allow for sprinklers to be used for two hours each week, remaining on a set schedule.
— With files from Scott Strasser and Postmedia