Calgary emergency officials say there's no telling when water restrictions will be lifted because of a ruptured main line in the city's water system.
Calgary Water Director Nancy Mackay joined Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Emergency Management Agency Director Susan Henry on Sunday afternoon to update the public about the outages.
Mackay told reporters that crews began removing the damaged pipe on Saturday. After removing the pipe and installing the repair piece, crews will flush the pipe to ensure the water is safe to drink.
Flushing out can take several days, she said.
“It's too early to tell when boil water advisories or restrictions will need to be lifted,” MacKay said.
A massive water main break in the northwest Calgary community of Montgomery on Wednesday has sparked concerns about water supplies and issued a boil water advisory for Bowness residents.
The warning remains in force, as do water supply alerts for Airdrie, Strathmore and Chestermere. Water trucks have been set up in Bowness to provide water to residents.
Calgarians living elsewhere are not required to boil water, but are still asked to conserve water.
Officials said the spur line, which carries water from the Bellspar Water Treatment Plant, is a “critical” water supply and the damage had “significantly impacted” the city's ability to deliver water.
Gondek said ahead of Sunday's briefing that the city needs to do a better job of explaining what the situation means for Calgarians.
“There are still people who think it's a joke. There are people who think it's a conspiracy theory. But it's not,” she said Sunday morning.
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“If we don’t conserve water, we’re going to have water shortages — not because there’s no water in the treatment plants. Until this infrastructure is fixed, we can’t get water to the reservoirs.”
On Sunday afternoon, Henry said if the reservoir reaches ⅓ of capacity, which she added is unlikely, the city would have to further restrict water use in order to provide water for firefighting efforts.
When asked by reporters what the water shortage would be like, officials said residents would see little water flow when they turned on their taps.
The area around Northwest 16th Avenue was flooded Wednesday after a water main broke, Gondek said. Crews had to pump water away from the site to access the pipe, assess the damage and develop a repair plan.
The plan involves cutting out the broken section, hoisting a steel replacement and welding it to the existing concrete pipe, which Gondek noted is large enough to drive a truck through.
“That's why this will take at least five to seven days,” she said. “It's a very large repair job because this infrastructure is so large and that feeder road is a main road.”
The water main was expected to last 100 years, according to Gondek, but the city only recently reached a lifespan of 50. She said other pipes and water mains are in “good or very good condition.”
Until the pipeline is repaired, the city will rely on water from the South Glenmore Treatment Plant, which also supplies another 40 percent of the city.
She said once the reservoir that Bearspaw normally fills with water is empty, it can't be refilled because the water main is broken.
Calgarians are being asked to stop using water outdoors and minimize water use indoors. Henry said on Sunday that residents can “go with the navy shower style.”
“You need to turn off the water, lather it up, turn the water back on, and then rinse it off quickly,” she said.
Henry also recommends turning off the tap when brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your hands, and using a bucket to catch shower water to flush the toilet.
Additionally, she encouraged Calgarians to only use dishwashers and washing machines at full capacity.
Gondek said Calgarians have been abiding by restrictions. She said people consumed about 650 million litres of water on Wednesday, but only 440 million litres on Saturday.
Gondek said the average Calgarian consumes 173 litres of water per day, the equivalent of two full bathtubs.
Henry said bylaw officers have received 638 calls about water abuse since Thursday but have issued only 116 written warnings. No tickets have been issued.
Due to river safety concerns, the city recommends that Calgarians use buckets of river water to water their plants and gardens.
“Rainfall is forecast over the next few days and into this weekend. So we encourage Calgarians to collect as much rainwater as possible and let nature help us,” Henry said.
Henry said the city is working to reduce water usage. Crews have stopped watering plants and showers at recreational facilities have been closed. Some sports venues have also been closed.
While Calgarians may see crews using non-potable water to protect newly planted trees and irrigate golf course greens, Henry said the use of non-potable water will not affect the water supply.
When asked by reporters whether communication with the public has improved, Gondek cited the 2013 flood as an example, acknowledging that communication was much better then.
She said they are already working on improving the way the city releases the latest information.
Gunderke is expected to speak to reporters at 8:30 a.m. every day except Sunday until the situation is resolved. Emergency officials will also provide updates at 2 p.m. each day.
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