The City of Calgary said Tuesday it was increasing the threshold for acceptable water use amid major repairs to the Bearspaw South Feedermain. Despite the bigger target, Calgarians have once again missed the mark.
The city used 506 million litres on Tuesday, still are far cry from the updated 485 million litre guideline.
Calgarians didn’t once hit the original target of 450 million litres since Stage 4 water restrictions were reintroduced on Aug. 26.
Calgary’s Infrastructure Services General Manager Michael Thompson said Tuesday that crews tested a new configuration which allows an additional 35 million litres of water to move through the system.
“The team took key learnings from June and looked at new ways to bring capacity and improved water distribution across the city,” he said. “One of the learnings was our ability to reconfigure existing pumps to reroute the flow of water.
“We have completed testing this configuration and the team is confident it is a sustainable solution for the remainder of the repair work.”
Thompson added that anything between 485 million and 500 million will put a strain on the system, and anything above 500 million litres of water is “unsustainable.”
“We are unable to replenish the underground storage tanks in your neighbourhoods overnight and we are at a greater risk of running out of water,” said Thompson.
City data shows Calgarians used 505 million litres Monday, up from 473 million litres on Sunday, and 475 million litres on Saturday.
Stage 4 prohibits outdoor use of potable water, which means a total ban on watering lawns and gardens. The city was also asking residents to cut their indoor water use by 25 per cent.
The city said late last week they were going to start issuing fines for people who aren’t following the outdoor water rules. Officials said Tuesday that five tickets have been issued for outdoor water use during the restrictions.
The city previously warned multiple times last week that the risk associated with using too much water was an extended city-wide boil water advisory.
Restrictions on outdoor water use are expected to last until Sept. 23, when the city says repairs will be finished.
Crews have now started work on five of eight repair sites, including four along 33 Avenue NW and one at Shouldice Park. Excavation is nearing at completion at the first five locations.
“Once excavation is complete, we’re moving forward with installing rebar and form work and concrete pouring has already started around some repair segments,” reads a release from the city.
Construction on the three remaining sites along 16 Avenue NW is expected to begin on Thursday.