Officials renewed their pleas for Calgarians to make extra efforts with water conservation on Monday with consumption up slightly following the warmest weekend of the year so far.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the city used 22 per cent less water than typical on Sunday, which isn’t quite at the 25 per cent the city has been targeting.
The 467 million litres used Sunday was higher than the target amount of 450 million litres, but still lower than the threshold of 480 million litres needed to ensure the city has enough water for hospitals and emergency situations.
“That’s not quite the quarter we were looking for, but we’re almost there,” Gondek said. “Conserving water is essential to making sure that we have enough water in situations where there are life-saving measures needed.”
Sunday’s water usage was the highest the city has seen since June 14.
Residents can now pick-up non-potable water for outdoor plants at six locations across the city. The list of locations can be found here.
Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) Chief Sue Henry also stressed the importance of conserving water to be able to fight fires and sent her thoughts to the dozens displaced by a major condo fire in southeast Calgary.
“This is a sober reminder of why our water conservation efforts are so important,” she said. “As a result of the fire we were able to see an impact on our system.”
The 48-unit condo building in McKenzie Towne was left with severe damage to the top floor and roof after it went up in flames late Sunday night.
Henry says the city has received several calls about people having fires during the fire ban, which has resulted in a number of warnings, and five fines handed out.
She also says bylaw officers have responded to over 2,600 calls for water misuse since the crisis began. Officers have now handed out 17 tickets.
Some roads reopen around water main site
With the feeder main repairs progressing as planned, the city has reopened some roads for traffic in the area where the site burst nearly four weeks ago.
Westbound and eastbound lanes along 16 Avenue N.W. from 49 Street N.W. to Home Road have reopened. The city says the following roads will remain closed for the remainder of repairs:
- 16 Avenue N.W. will be closed in both directions from 46 Street N.W. and 45 Street N.W.
- 16 Avenue N.W. will be closed in both directions from 43 Street N.W. to Bowness Road N.W.
- East/West traffic will be detoured onto Bowness Road. Expect delays
- Eastbound detour starts at 46 Street to Bowness Road and re-enters 16 Avenue at the Shaganappi Trail interchange
Gondek said Monday the welding on the new replacement pipes is now being done, which will be followed by sealing and back filling.
The city has continued to say the goal for a return to normal is July 5, but the mayor has cautioned that even once repairs are completed, the flushing of pipes and restoration of water can be a tricky process.
With files from Henna Saeed