Calgarians will have to put up with using pasta water on their plants and confronting droopy, unwashed hair in the mirror for at least another week as repair crews deal with a major water line break, says Mayor Jyoti Gondek.
"I know it's tough to watch your clothes pile up, and I know it's tough to look in the mirror sometimes and see some sad, droopy hair — but it's critical," Gondek said Wednesday.
Calgarians were in their seventh day of water restrictions, made necessary after one of the city's two main feeder pipes fractured.
A new section of replacement pipe, big enough in diameter for a car to drive through, arrived on the site Tuesday. But that's just the start of the repair process, Gondek said.
Installing and welding the new pipe into place will take about two days, she said. Flushing and filling the pipe will take another three. Finally, readying the new section of pipe for water flow into the city's underground reservoirs will take two days.
There is a mandatory ban on outdoor watering, such as lawns and washing windows, and voluntarily measures to reduce water use at home include fewer toilet flushes and doing less laundry and dishes.
Gondek praised Calgarians for their readiness to sacrifice.
She noted people are cooking on barbecues or having sandwiches for supper, watering their plants with used pasta water, scraping plates with spatulas instead of rinsing and showering by bucket and cup.
"All of you are doing an exceptional job," she said.
She said the city is saving the equivalent of 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water every day.
"Yes, we will have more days of cutting water use and, yes, we will have a clean and safe water supply into the future because we are taking these steps."
The city said Tuesday it had issued 993 violation notices.
