‘Not out of the woods yet’: Calgarians asked to continue conserving water

Calgary officials say the city’s water system remains under strain as crews continue work to restore a critical feeder main following a major break in the northwest.

Calgary officials say the city’s water system remains under strain as crews continue work to restore a critical feeder main following a major break in the northwest.

“As we work to return the feeder main to service, we’ve implemented a community protection plan,” Calgary Emergency Management Agency chief Susan Henry said during a news conference Saturday afternoon.

“This plan is focused on protecting the neighbourhoods along the Bearspaw South feeder main and ensuring we’re prepared in case of an additional break while the line is returning to service.”

Henry said progress is being made but conservation remains essential.

“Yesterday, water use was at 504 million litres. That’s trending in the right direction,” she said. “Four hundred and 504 million litres still means our system is under strain.”

The goal remains to stay below 485 million litres per day.

Henry stressed that total daily usage matters more than timing.

“It is not the time of day that you use that water,” she said. “This 485 million litres is the amount that our system needs to operate safely, refill overnight and maintain our emergency reserves.”