Calgary’s water restrictions, which have been on and off for the past several months, have been lifted Sunday.
The Bearspaw South Feeder Main is back in service and now functioning, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said in a news conference.
The city said it expected repairs to be complete by Sep. 23, but the repairs were finished days earlier and the restrictions lifted ahead of schedule.
Francois Bouchart, the city’s director of capital priorities and investment, says while all restrictions are being lifted, he is asking Calgarians to ease into regular water use.
Water restrictions were first introduced when a major water feeder main break happened in the northwest area on June 5, which included residents, businesses, and outdoor water use.
Stage 4 water restrictions meant Calgarians couldn’t use potable water outdoors, while the stages leading up to Stage 1 meant water could only be used on a timetable. Anyone caught doing so were faced with a fine of $3,000.
After declaring the water emergency clear and most water restrictions being lifted in July, right as the Calgary Stampede kicked off, Calgarians were reintroduced to restrictions on Aug. 26 to make way for repairs to the feeder main, which were noticed after the initial repairs.
Water use on Saturday was 487 million litres, a few more than the limit of 485 million litres. The limit was raised from 450 million litres after several days.
The typical demand from both the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant and the Berarspaw Water Treatment Plant is around 600 million litres daily.
More to come