Calgary remains in 'recovery mode'; outdoor water restrictions still in place

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says while indoor water use has returned to normal, city officials aren't yet ready to lift outdoor restrictions.

"The continued work on stabilizing our water system is going quite well," Gondek said during Wednesday's daily update.

The mayor said work to complete critical maintenance on the Glenmore water treatment plant is on track to be finished by the end of the week.

For now though, Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions remain in place, and a fire ban.

Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) chief Sue Henry reiterated that Calgary is still not in a place to relax outdoor water usage.

"We're just not there yet," she said.

"While our system continues to stabilize, we ask you to continue to catch up on your indoor use a little bit at a time.

"We need to keep the whole system stable at this current level of pressure before we can relax to a lesser set of outdoor water restrictions."

"The last thing we want to do is put the feeder main or the system at risk again," Gondek added. "We are in recovery mode."

Spray parks, wading pools and street sweeping program remain paused while outdoor water restrictions are in place.

Most City of Calgary services that use water indoors have resumed operations, including pools, ice rinks and recreation centres.

Officials said Wednesday that other amenities like hot tubs and steam rooms are expected to open "as soon as possible."

Francois Bouchart, the director of capital priorities and investment with the city's infrastructure services department, said Wednesday that treated water remains safe to drink, though turbidity may continue to varying degrees throughout the stabilization period.

"Calgarians may still see cloudy water when they turn on their taps. This is temporary, and the water continues to be safe to consume."

On Tuesday, Calgary used 478 million litres of water and there was increased usage in the evening, which the mayor said makes sense given the announcement that indoor water restrictions had been lifted. 

The easing of indoor water use reduction measures is a relief for Calgarians after weeks of restrictions.

“A lot easier obviously. Not filling the bathtub and keeping it for toilet flushes. Nice to be able to do laundry consistently, car washes,” said Todd Hoyem.

“I’m happy to use water. For us, the biggest thing was the pool because my son dives and swims a lot, and me and my husband too,” said Anastasiia Reschetnova.

While water use ramps up, the city is preparing to drill down on what caused it.

City of Calgary administration spoke with a city committee about a third-party review.

Originally, administration thought the review of the June 5 break might be completed by November. Now it’s expected to take at least a year.

“Our timelines were a little aggressive,” said David Duckworth, City of Calgary CAO.

The mayor and several councillors stressed the need for transparency and independence.

“We need to make sure this is an independent thorough review so that the public has trust and confidence in the City of Calgary. It’s going to take more time,” Duckworth said.

A budget has not been decided yet but the review will be funded through the city’s utility reserve budget, which currently has over $40 million set aside for water services.

The goal of the review is to learn and improve from the situation, build public confidence and confirm long-term reliable drinking water.

In the time that water-saving measures were requested by city officials, more than 3.5 billion litres of water were conserved compared to regular water usage, according to the mayor.