The City of Calgary says upcoming major events, including the Calgary Stampede, will not be interrupted by the city’s ongoing water emergency that is about to stretch into its third week.
Officials assured that the Stampede, set to kickoff on July 5, will take place and say contingency plans are being made to ensure it won’t have an adverse effect on efforts to conserve water.
“The show will go on,” said Calgary Stampede CEO Joel Cowley during the city’s Monday afternoon update. “But, it will go on in a very responsible manner.”
The city’s water issues began nearly two weeks ago when the Bearspaw South feeder main burst along 16 Avenue NW. The city declared a local state of emergency on Saturday after it said it would take 3-5 weeks to repair the pipe, leading to longer outdoor water restrictions for residents and businesses.
The extended timeline for repairs led to some concern about the Stampede and other events potentially being derailed, as the timeline for fixing the damaged water infrastructure could extend through the 10-day event, the largest in Alberta.
Cowley says Stampede organizers are working on identifying ways of limiting the use of city water, including bringing in treated water from elsewhere and using non-potable water whenever possible.
“To the maximum extent possible, we will seek to offset the use of Calgary treated water,” he said.
Cowley says non-potable water can be used to groom tracks and arenas, as well as for cleaning in some cases. He says the festival is looking at transporting in treated water to help take care of the livestock.
City officials also stressed that there are no plans in place to cancel any other popular events in the city. The Sled Island Music Festival kicks off on Wednesday and is expected draw tens of thousands into the downtown core over the course of five days.
“Fun is not cancelled, the summer is not cancelled,” said deputy chief of emergency management operations for the city Cody Duerr. “The 2024 Stampede won’t be cancelled — it just might look a little different.”
He says recent history suggests that water demand doesn’t actually rise during the Stampede.
“During Stampede we know Calgarians are also travelling elsewhere during their summer vacation plans,” he says. “And as we know, early July can bring big storms reducing the need for water outdoors.”
He says the city will continue to welcome visitors from out of town, but urged anyone coming to the city to adhere to the same principles of limiting water usage that is being asked of local residents.
Until the repairs are finished, Calgarians are being told they must cut water consumption by 25 per cent to avoid running out. Stage 4 outdoor watering restrictions remain in place, same with a fire ban.
Crews continue work on five areas of feeder main
Five additional areas requiring repair along the Bearspaw South feeder main were detected late last week. The discovery of those five weak spots is what prompted the city to add additional weeks to the timeline for things to return to normal.
“There are parts available for three of those, and we are waiting for parts for the other two,” said Mayor Jyoti Gondek on Monday, adding that the initial break along 16 Avenue NW near Home Road has been fixed.
Officials said Sunday there were no further surprises found after a robot inspected the remaining section of the feeder main.
Gondek said Monday afternoon that water usage stayed below the current threshold on Sunday after reporting an all-time low for water usage in the city on Saturday.
Listen to CityNews 660 for up-to-date coverage on Calgary’s water emergency.
With files from The Canadian Press