Calgarians do better on second day of water rationing as pipe repairs continue

City officials say Calgarians are getting better at cutting down on their water use, but need to do more to stop the taps from potentially running dry.

The city says 497 million litres of water were used on Tuesday.

AUGUST 28 update on the Bearspaw South Feeder Main repairs includes:

➡️ Daily water use
➡️ How you can help
➡️ Repair updates

To watch our update or to read more, visit https://t.co/5JpggH6Y7r.

— City of Calgary (@cityofcalgary) August 28, 2024

That's above the 450-million-litre cap the city needs to stay under while a major water main that burst in June undergoes further repairs.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek says if Calgarians exceed the limit, eventually the city could run out of water.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: WATER RESTRICTIONS START AUGUST 26

As we start maintenance work on the Bearspaw South Feedermain, a reminder that we are re-entering Stage 4 restrictions on Monday. We are also asking you to reduce your indoor water usage, please. I want to remind everyone…

— Jyoti Gondek (@JyotiGondek) August 23, 2024

But the city's general manager of infrastructure services says it's encouraging to see Calgarians improving upon the 533 million litres they sent down the drain on Monday, the first full day of a new round of rationing.

Michael Thompson says he hopes the amount of water used will continue to drop and remain below the cap until late September when urgent repairs are set to be completed.

Calgarians are banned from using sprinklers and hoses with potable water and are being urged to cut their use indoors by taking three-minute showers, holding off on toilet flushes and running fewer dishwasher and laundry loads.

After the Bearspaw South Feeder Main in northwest Calgary ruptured in June, the city banned outdoor watering and asked residents to cut their use indoors by a quarter. 

Those measures had mostly eased when, earlier this month, the city announced more weak spots had been found in the pipe and restrictions returned on Monday.

"The stakes are very high," Thompson said during an update on Wednesday.

"If we consistently exceed our target, we risk running out of water."

Francois Bouchart, director of capital priorities and investment for the city, said some sections of pipe are now exposed in the Bowness neighbourhood, where many of the new trouble spots were found, and are set to be stabilized with concrete.

"Additional pipe segments will be exposed for repair through the week," he said.

"It will continue to be critically important that we do all our part through September."