Work to repair a major water main stretches into a second day in Calgary on Friday, June 7, 2024.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
A Calgary official has a warning for people who continue to water lawns as the city works to repair a feeder main -- bylaw officers are working through the holiday weekend.
Capital priorities and investments director Francois Bouchart said in a video update on Saturday that the city consumed 492 million litres of water on Friday, and while that’s well below normal consumption, it’s above the target of 450 million litres per day while repairs are underway.
Bouchart says there continues to be reports of outdoor watering at homes and businesses, and that 347 such instances have been reported this week.
The city has warned that anyone who flaunts the restrictions could face a $3,000 fine.
It’s the second round of repairs and restrictions since the Bearspaw South Feeder Main in northwest Calgary ruptured in June, and repairs this time are expected to take place until late September.
Outdoor watering is banned and residents are being urged to cut their use indoors.
“Unfortunately, we continue to see outdoor watering at residences and commercial properties, which is not allowed under Stage 4 watering restrictions,” Bouchart said in the update.
“Bylaw officers are working through the weekend to follow up on these complaints and will be issuing $3,000 fines where warranted.”
The city warns that if Calgarians continue using more than 450 million liters of water per day during the repair process, it risks running out of drinking water.
Bouchart said the repair work continues around the clock and is on schedule. He reiterated that the current repairs are necessary to avoid another catastrophic failure of the feeder main like the one in June.
Staring next week, he said a potion of 16 Avenue N.W. from 46 Street N.W. to the Bowness Rd. interchange will close in order to facilitate repairs, and that traffic will be detoured onto Bowness Rd.
Bouchart said the city’s plans will keep the driveways of as many businesses as possible open.