'Truly making a difference': Water consumption falls below city's target
Water main repairs are being completed earlier than planned, but rain forecast for later this week could hinder progress
A city official expressed gratitude to Calgarians for reducing water consumption by 13 million litres on Tuesday, bringing usage below the city’s threshold—a measure that officials say will help protect Calgary’s water supply as repairs are made to the feeder main.
Francois Bouchart, director of capital priorities and investment, praised the community's efforts on Wednesday afternoon, noting that water consumption dropped to 481 million litres, down from 494 million litres on Monday and 509 million litres on Sunday.
“I want to extend my sincere thanks to Calgarians, businesses, and our regional neighbours for collectively taking steps to conserve water,” Bouchart said, also recognizing the landscaping industry for minimizing its water use.
“This is truly making a difference. It highlights the encouraging community spirit we’ve witnessed over the past few weeks, with neighbours sharing water-saving tips and businesses going the extra mile today.”
Bouchart also provided updates on the feeder main repairs. Work has been completed at four of the eight sites, with excavation underway at a fifth site on 33rd Avenue at 86th Street N.W. Backfilling has been finished on one section of the pipe, and concrete pouring for the other two segments is scheduled for later this week.
Additionally, workers have completed excavation and concrete pouring at sites six through eight along 16th Avenue N.W. They are now dismantling existing concrete structures and backfilling the pipe. While the repairs are progressing ahead of schedule, Bouchart warned that forecasted rain later in the week could slow progress. An updated construction schedule will be released on Thursday.
He emphasized the importance of continued water conservation, explaining that the Glenmore treatment plant, built in 1933 for a smaller population, is currently the only major facility supplying water to Calgary during repairs to the Bearspaw south feeder main. This 11-kilometre line, which runs east from the Bearspaw treatment plant along the Bow River, supplies 60 percent of the city’s water demand.
The Glenmore treatment plant is operating at full capacity, increasing the risk of damage to the facility.
“Under normal circumstances, we don’t run the equipment at this level, as it allows us to perform routine maintenance, have cool-down periods, and manage any equipment issues,” Bouchart said.
He added that keeping water consumption below the city’s threshold of 485 million litres would prevent the depletion of underground storage reservoirs and allow the city to maintain the Glenmore facility, helping avoid major failures.
