Calgary indoor water-use reductions could ease after July 1 if restoration process goes smoothly

Water services in Calgary could be fully restored by July 1, with some water-use reductions easing shortly after if everything goes according to the city’s plan.

“At that time, we could be looking at easing the indoor water reductions that we have asked you to employ, and that you’ve become so good at, but we’re not there yet,” Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said, during an afternoon press conference.

Gondek said crews will begin filling its recently repaired feeder main with water on Wednesday night, the first step toward getting services back online.

“The filling of the two-metre-wide pipe begins early this evening and it could last between a day to a day and a half or two days,” Gondek said.

“As the pipe is filled and brought up to capacity, it will be monitored closely, to ensure nothing is going awry.”

The filling is the first of four steps, with flushing expected to begin on Friday. The four steps include:

• Phase 1: The city will begin filing the pipe on Wednesday night or Thursday morning. This step will take approximately one day and includes pressurizing the pipe, filling it with water, listening for breaks and monitoring pressure levels.
• Phase 2: Flushing of the pipe is scheduled to begin on Friday. Water will be released through fire hydrants and dechlorinated before reaching the river. Water samples will also be collected.
• Phase 3: Testing of the water will begin on Saturday.. The water samples will be analyzed and reviewed by Alberta Health Services.
• Phase 4: If the water samples pass the tests, the main will be stabilized. The city will monitor reservoir levels, adjust and redirect water flow and gradually ease water restrictions. This will take three to five days.

“There are still many steps along the way to restoring water service,” Gondek said, during her Wednesday morning update.

“This is a reminder that despite what it looks like on 16th Avenue with things returning to normal, there are still four important steps that need to be taken to ensure that our water is safe and that it can be returned at regular volumes for all of us to be using.”

Until services are fully restored, water-use restrictions and guidelines will continue to be in place.

Calgarians used 471 million litres of water on Tuesday, which the mayor said is about 98 per cent of the acceptable threshold.

“Any more, and it puts us potentially at risk for life-saving measures, like people in hospital or firefighting efforts,” Gondek said.

Backfilling work on sites along 16th Avenue began on Tuesday night and paving began on Wednesday.

Edworthy Park closures

As the city begins flushing and water-quality testing on Friday, some pathways and a parking lot near Edworthy Park will be affected.

The north parking lot at Edworthy Park near Bowness Road will be closed until further notice. The south parking lot, accessible from Bow Trail and Edworthy Street S.W., will remain open.

The city said a high volume of traffic is expected in the south parking lot and encouraged visitors to choose alternative transportation options to get to Edworthy Park, instead of driving.

Some sections of the Bow River pathway near Edworthy Park will also be closed, including near Angel’s Café and the North parking lot.

“Beyond these parking lot and pathway detours, Edworthy Park and Angel’s Café remain open. We are just asking users to use caution and follow signage throughout the area,” Calgary Emergency Management Agency Chief Susan Henry said on Wednesday.

Although the city will be releasing large volumes of dechlorinated water into the Bow River near Edworthy, the river remains safe for floating and boating.

But the city asked river users to avoid the north shoreline of Edworthy Park over the long weekend.