City analyzing whether it can ease Calgary’s water restrictions as usage decreases

Calgary remains under Stage 3 water restrictions as crews monitor how the city’s water system will respond to the easing of water conservation measures. 

The City of Calgary has been gradually lifting restrictions on water use, though officials continue to urge residents to ease back into their regular water-use habits as crews work to fully stabilize the system.

“In order to lower our outdoor water restrictions and allow more outdoor water use, we need to increase the flow of water through the feeder main,” Francois Bouchart, the City of Calgary’s director of capital priorities and investment said during an update on Saturday afternoon.

“This weekend, we are continuing to monitor an analyze our information to decide whether increasing the flow is possible or if we need to stay in Stage 3 water restrictions for a longer period of time.”

He added that a decision on those steps will come on Monday.

Earlier this week, the city announced that all outdoor pools are exempt from the ongoing outdoor water restrictions in order to provide people with some options for relief from the heat.

City officials say the Bearspaw south feeder main — which ruptured on June 5 — is operating at about 55 per cent of its normal capacity.

This means that water is moving at just over half of its normal speed, even though the pipe is full of water, to keep pressure in the pipe low and reduce stress, officials said.

On Saturday water demand was 535 million litres, down from 554 million litres on Friday.

“The use has dropped as the weather cools, which was expected,” the city said in a release. “With Stage 3 Outdoor Water Restrictions in place, we are able to meet the current demand.”

No new wire snaps were detected over the weekend, leaving the total snaps at three.