A decision to further ease outdoor water-use restrictions from Stage 2 to Stage 1 will be made on Monday morning, according to Calgary’s director of water services Nancy Mackay.
During a regular Sunday afternoon update, Mackay said Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Michael Thompson, the city’s general manager of infrastructure services, will be providing Calgarians with an update on restrictions at 8:30 a.m. Monday.
The city remains under Stage 2 restrictions following the rupture of the Bearspaw south feeder main on June 5 that left Calgary in a water supply crisis.
Earlier this week, the city gradually eased outdoor water restrictions again, moving from Stage 3 to Stage 2.
The city remains under Stage 2 outdoor water restrictions as crews monitor how the city’s water system will respond to the easing of water conservation measures.
Under the current stage of restrictions, people can now water gardens and lawns, though not without some limitations. Residents using sprinklers must follow a watering schedule, and full details on the city’s guidelines for outdoor watering can be found here.
Montgomery water main repairs expected to finish later Sunday
Late Friday afternoon, a different water main on Bowness Road N.W. ruptured, resulting in the closure of Bowness Road N.W. between 51st Street and Home Road.
Mackay says the affected portion of Bowness Road remains closed in both directions as of Sunday afternoon. It will not be reopened until it is safe to do so, she said.
According to the city’s website, 14 homes and 10 businesses had been affected by the water service disruption. Repair work is ongoing as of Sunday afternoon.
The city says a water wagon remains on site for those whose water use has been impacted by the break.
“I want to let you know that our crews are on site right now working on that repair, and they expect it to be finished later today,” said Mackay.
A news release from the City of Calgary sent on Friday evening noted that this new rupture was not on the feeder main itself, nor was it impacting the flow of water through the feeder main.
“The break is located on a much smaller, 10-inch cast iron pipe that we have confirmed is not directly connected to the Bearspaw south feeder main,” reads the release.
Mackay echoed the message from the release during Sunday’s update, saying that Friday’s incident does not impact the city’s ability to meet Calgary’s current water demand.
Calgary’s water usage climbed to 641 million litres of water on Saturday — up from the 612 million litres used Friday. Mackay says the increase is in line with what the city forecasted for water demand.
5 total wire snaps
Monitoring devices along the Bearspaw south feeder main have detected another new wire snap along the pipe since easing restrictions, bringing the total to five individual snapped wires, Mackay said.
“This snap does not mean that another break in the critical feeder main is imminent,” she said.
“However, it does mean that our continued monitoring remains important as we … consider increasing flow of water in that feeder main.”
Water is currently flowing through the pipe at 70 per cent of its maximum speed.