AHS water quality tests come back clean: Calgary moves forward with stabilizing service
![Calgary Mayor Gondek expressed "cautious optimism" at her Sunday morning update on the water main break. (Photo: X@cityofcalgary)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/6/30/calgary-1-6946801-1719759648077.jpg)
The city is entering the final stages of resuming water service through its repaired feeder main, as water consumption continues to fall below the city’s threshold level.
The city announced Sunday afternoon that water quality testing results "meets and exceeds" water quality standards, giving the city the green light to move on to the final stage of restoring service - stabilization.
“Stabilization is a complex process that doesn’t only focus on the repaired sections of pipe, but means we have to stabilize Calgary’s entire water network,” said capital priorities and infrastructure director Francois Bouchart, in a media release. “This step carries the largest amount of risk, and we have contingency plans to ensure we can respond quickly if required.”
No concerns
At her early Sunday update, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said flushing the pipes produced no concerns.
That means water crews will slowly turn on pumps and valves to bring the water lines back on.
“This is the most risky step in the process,” Gondek said, comparing it to someone trying out a vulnerable body part after recovering from surgery.
Water consumption down again
She said water consumption continued to decline Saturday, dropping to 447 million litres, well below the city threshold of 480 million litres – although it probably didn’t hurt that lots of residents are out of town enjoying the Canada Day long weekend.
She asked residents to continue to conserve water.
“If you have to play air guitar in the shower, there are many perfect three-minute (long) songs on the first Clash album,” she said.
Gondek said the river pathway by Point McKay has re-opened.
Once the water comes back on, she added, some fire hydrants may be used to expel water, which is normal. The first community where that may happen is Parkdale.
The next update is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Canada Day. To watch live, log on to CTV News.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6947764.1719881470!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Did WestJet cancel your flight? Here's what experts say you should do
WestJet cancelled more than 800 flights between June 27 and July 2, affecting tens of thousands of passengers. Here are the kinds of compensation experts say passengers affected by the cancellations may be entitled to, and how to go about advocating for it.
What a family lawyer says you should know before getting married
Barry Nussbaum, a Toronto-based family lawyer who has counselled countless couples, offers advice about the details you don't want to overlook before getting married.
Hurricane Beryl rips through open waters after devastating the southeast Caribbean
Hurricane Beryl roared through open waters on Tuesday as a monstrous Category 5 storm on a path that would take it near Jamaica and the Cayman Islands after earlier making landfall in the southeast Caribbean, killing at least two people.
This 12-year-old memorized the periodic table at age two. He's heading to NYU after finishing high school in just two years
Recent high school graduate Suborno Isaac Bari, 12, plans to start studying math and physics at New York University in the fall, but he’s already got his ambitious sights set on beginning a doctoral program.
Scientists wary of bird flu pandemic 'unfolding in slow motion'
Scientists tracking the spread of bird flu are increasingly concerned that gaps in surveillance may keep them several steps behind a new pandemic, according to Reuters interviews with more than a dozen leading disease experts.
Five years after historic tobacco ruling, 'nothing has changed'
Five years after a historic ruling against three major tobacco companies, no one has seen even a fraction of the money they're entitled to – and recent court filings suggest hundreds have died in the interim.
Biden and the Democrats raise US$264 million in 2nd quarter as they seek to calm post-debate anxieties
President Joe Biden 's reelection campaign and the Democratic National Committee reported raising US$264 million in the year's second quarter, an impressive haul that may help them calm fears within their own party about last week's shaky debate performance.
Flash flooding in B.C. Interior affects at least 20 homes, emergency officials say
At least 20 homes have been affected by flash flooding in the British Columbia Interior following heavy rains that forced the overnight closure of the Trans-Canada Highway near Kamloops.
Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in India's northeast kill at least 16 people
Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 16 people over the last two weeks in India's northeast, where more than 300,000 have been displaced from their submerged homes, authorities said on Tuesday.