Calgary renews state of emergency as crews scramble to restore water in four days

Calgary's mayor says a major road is set to reopen on Friday for the first time since a pipe rupture shut it down more than three weeks ago. Crews work to repair a major water main break and five other weak spots in Calgary, Saturday, June 22, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY — The City of Calgary renewed its state of emergency on Thursday to remind its approximately 1.6 million residents that water conservation efforts need to be taken seriously.

"We're not out of the woods yet" even though a water main rupture is repaired and new pipe is expected to be stabilized by Monday, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said during a news conference.

She said the city expects to start easing water restrictions by then as well.

But until then, she said, Calgarians need to keep reducing their water use by 25 per cent to avoid the taps going dry.

"I know you're frustrated, and I know that you're tired of putting in so much effort at saving water but, I have to tell you, all of your savings matter," she said.

She said daily water usage has been climbing in recent days but remains below the threshold of 480 million litres needed to keep water service going and provide firefighters and health-care workers the resources to combat emergencies.

Earlier in the day, Gondek said construction work on the commuter road above the pipe is complete, and the road was set to reopen Friday.

The avenue was shut down after a pipe rupture was discovered on June 5 and left Calgary and its surrounding communities under a combination of mandatory and voluntary water restrictions.

Residents have been asked to reduce their indoor water use by flushing the toilet less often and doing fewer loads of laundry.

Outdoor water use is also banned and residents have been encouraged to rely on rainwater for their gardens.

Francois Bouchard, Calgary's infrastructure director, said that before the city lifts restrictions, engineers have to take multiple steps to ensure new pipe that replaced the ruptured one is stable.

He said the steps include pumping millions of litres of water through the 4.5 kilometres of replacement water pipe, which should be complete by Friday.

Once the pipe is full, he said, workers will flush it out and send the water to Alberta Health Services for testing.

"There is a risk of more breaks at this stage," he said.

"So long as the pipe is not back in service, we have exactly the same conditions in terms of our ability to move water and supply water to Calgarians."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2024.

The Canadian Press