Nearly a month after a major water feedermain in northwest Calgary broke, Mayor Jyoti Gondek says residents can return to their normal indoor water use habits.
“I am relieved to say that today we can deliver some much needed good news,” she said. “I am incredibly pleased to share that indoor water usage can now return to normal and we look forward to slowly restoring outdoor water use as we continue to monitor the system’s stabilization process.”
This news was happily delivered by the mayor during a Tuesday morning update that was pushed back two hours.
The city said Monday this was to allow the city to get all the information it could from overnight monitoring of the system before it discussed the next steps in reducing water restrictions. This proved successful.
Gondek said three crews worked all day Monday to flush water through hydrants to reduce the cloudiness that some residents were reporting upon turning on their taps. Turbidity levels are coming down and they’re trending in the right direction, she added.
Production is also safely increasing at the Bearspaw Treatment Plant, she said, allowing for critical maintenance to take place at the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant.
The Bearspaw Feedermain has now been brought up to 50 per cent capacity, Gondek explains, and crews continue to work to stabilize the system by listening for irregularities and measuring pressure changes.
On more than one occasion over the last 26 days, Gondek pleaded with Calgarians to adhere to indoor water usage guidelines, stressing using more than the 480 million litre threshold would spell trouble for fire crews and medical professionals.
At times, the tone was even harsher, with the mayor warning taps could run dry if Calgarians didn’t smarten up.
But, on Tuesday, Gondek was all praise.
“Calgary, I am in absolute awe of the work that all of you did for the last 26 days. For almost a month, you have gone above and beyond to keep our water usage low,” she said. “You ensured that we had safe drinking water during this crisis and that our firefighters, doctors, and nurses were never without the water they needed to do their jobs.
“I cannot thank you enough for every action you have taken.”
READ MORE: Calgary’s Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant, feedermain, reconnected to water network
Another press conference with the mayor is also set for 12:15 p.m. where she will be joined by General Manager of Infrastructure Services Michael Thompson, Calgary Emergency Management (CEMA) Chief Sue Henry, and City of Calgary Capital Priorities and Investment Director Francois Bouchart.
Gondek declared a state of local emergency on June 15, 10 days after the break, after it was discovered there were five so-called “hotspots” on the feedermain that would likely extend the timeline to resolve the crisis to three to five weeks.
“That was difficult news to deliver, and I know it was difficult news to hear,” the mayor recalled.
She said Tuesday the order remains in place but could be lifted later this week.
CityNews660 will carry both updates live, listen here.
Outdoor water restrictions and a fire ban are still in place. Fines are being handed out for non-compliance.
-With files from Alejandro Melgar