Calgarians can return to normal indoor water use, mayor says, but outdoor restrictions remain

Nearly a month after a major water feedermain in northwest Calgary broke, Mayor Jyoti Gondek says residents can return to their normal indoor water use habits.

“I am relieved to say that today we can deliver some much needed good news,” she said. “I am incredibly pleased to share that indoor water usage can now return to normal and we look forward to slowly restoring outdoor water use as we continue to monitor the system’s stabilization process.”

This news was happily delivered by the mayor during a Tuesday morning update that was pushed back two hours.

The city said Monday this was to allow the city to get all the information it could from overnight monitoring of the system before it discussed the next steps in reducing water restrictions. This proved successful.

Gondek said three crews worked all day Monday to flush water through hydrants to reduce the cloudiness that some residents were reporting upon turning on their taps. Turbidity levels are coming down and they’re trending in the right direction, she added.

Production is also safely increasing at the Bearspaw Treatment Plant, she said, allowing for critical maintenance to take place at the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant.

The Bearspaw Feedermain has now been brought up to 50 per cent capacity, Gondek explains, and crews continue to work to stabilize the system by listening for irregularities and measuring pressure changes.

On more than one occasion over the last 26 days, Gondek pleaded with Calgarians to adhere to indoor water usage guidelines, stressing using more than the 480 million litre threshold would spell trouble for fire crews and medical professionals.

At times, the tone was even harsher, with the mayor warning taps could run dry if Calgarians didn’t smarten up.

But, on Tuesday, Gondek was all praise.

“Calgary, I am in absolute awe of the work that all of you did for the last 26 days. For almost a month, you have gone above and beyond to keep our water usage low,” she said. “You ensured that we had safe drinking water during this crisis and that our firefighters, doctors, and nurses were never without the water they needed to do their jobs.

“I cannot thank you enough for every action you have taken.”

Gondek also had praise for her provincial counterpart, Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver, whom she said has been a “sounding board” throughout the process and was on standby at all hours.

On the topic of thanks, Calgary’s mayor once again expressed gratitude to San Diego, which sent the pipes ultimately used to repair the feedermain, oil and gas experts, construction and water workers, and more.

“Sometimes it takes a crisis to remind us how much we can accomplish when communities, elected officials, and governments work together,” she said. I was reminded of the value of the strength of these partnerships over the last 26 days.

“The province was there for us, Calgary.”

McIver took a moment to recognize Gondek’s leadership during his remarks.

“Her commitment to transparent communication with the public, advocating for realistic timelines, and declaring a local state of emergency when it was necessary have been instrumental in getting us to this day,” he said. “I’m grateful for her initiative in mobilizing private sector experts who contributed crews, ideas, and support to get the job done.”

Despite Gondek’s declaration that water use can return to normal, she is hoping Calgarians learned some lessons over the last few weeks that they will take with them into the future.

“I think people have learned a lot about the value and importance of water and I’ll be interested to see what kind of practices people carry on with,” she said.

Calgarians are asked to gradually ease back into their typical water routine. The mayor says she isn’t worried this will over burden the repaired pipe.

“I have a lot of faith that Calgarians have understood over the last 26 days what we have to do to keep our water system running and getting water to all our homes,” she said. “I continue to have the faith that Calgarians will understand we need to ease back into regular use.”

READ MORE: Calgary’s Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant, feedermain, reconnected to water network

Another press conference with the mayor is also set for 12:15 p.m. where she will be joined by General Manager of Infrastructure Services Michael Thompson, Calgary Emergency Management (CEMA) Chief Sue Henry, and City of Calgary Capital Priorities and Investment Director Francois Bouchart.

Gondek declared a state of local emergency on June 15, 10 days after the break, after it was discovered there were five so-called “hotspots” on the feedermain that would likely extend the timeline to resolve the crisis to three to five weeks.

“That was difficult news to deliver, and I know it was difficult news to hear,” the mayor recalled.

She said Tuesday the order remains in place but could be lifted later this week.

Calgary’s mayor previously said she would be calling for a third-party, independent review of what led to the feedermain break as well as an examination of the city’s budget in regards to regards to infrastructure management and communication. McIver commended Gondek for this motion.

The mayor said this crisis has also provided an opportunity for her to grow.

“I want you to know that I am committed to learning from this crisis,” she said, acknowledging that communication was inadequate at the start of the incident. “I realize the impact of this error.”

It was at that time, Gondek committed to twice-daily updates once the situation was resolved.

She said Tuesday would be the last day of regular morning mayoral updates, which will now be handled by CEMA Chief Henry.

Listen here for live updates.

Outdoor water restrictions and a fire ban are still in place. Fines are being handed out for non-compliance.

-With files from Alejandro Melgar