The repair timeline for the water main is forcing city staff to assess ripple effects for Stampede.Jude Brocke/The Globe and Mail
Water consumption in Alberta’s largest city hit an all-time low on Saturday, as residents and businesses absorbed the gravity of a massive water main break that will take up to five more weeks to repair and has placed Calgary under a state of emergency.
Calgary’s standard water supply – which stocks the city of 1.6 million people, and surrounding communities including Airdrie, Chestermere and Strathmore – has been cut in half. Consumers have been under a combination of mandatory and voluntary water restrictions since the day after a major water main rupture on June 5, which was initially expected to take about a week to repair. But the city upped that timeline to an additional three to five weeks on Friday and on Saturday morning declared a local state of emergency after officials discovered five more worrisome spots during inspections.
The good news is that a robotic review of the exposed main indicates that there are no further breaches, Mayor Jyoti Gondek told a press conference Sunday.
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Consumption hit an all-time low on Saturday, at 438 million litres of water – far better than the city had hoped to achieve, she said.
With all outdoor water use banned, rain that drenched the city on the weekend had people placing everything from buckets to saucepans outside to capture whatever they could.
Not everyone is heeding the call to preserve water. As of Sunday afternoon, the city had received close to 1,900 calls reporting water misuse and issued more than 500 written warnings since it declared restrictions on June 6. It had received 334 calls related to people flouting a mandatory fire ban.
But the city’s water woes are just the tip of the iceberg and stand to be repeated across Canada without major investments in aging infrastructure, warned Tricia Stadnyk, Canada Research Chair in hydrologic modelling and a professor at the University of Calgary.
Prof. Stadnyk said the magnitude of the break and the degree to which it has compromised the city’s water distribution system is unprecedented in Canada.
But this isn’t merely a Calgary problem, she said in an interview. Rather, it’s the canary in the coal mine for cities across the country.
A 2019 report on Canadian infrastructure found that 30 per cent of Canada’s water and wastewater infrastructure is at or beyond its service life. With such grim statistics, Prof. Stadnyk said, communities stand to face catastrophic water issues unless they are proactive.
She acknowledged that being proactive can cost billions of dollars but said it’s crucial to preserve water supplies.
“We assume with 100-per-cent reliability that we will turn on the tap and water will come out. But that’s not the way that any built structure or system works. There’s always a risk of failure,” she said.
In Calgary, the repair timeline means water restrictions will likely remain in place during Calgary Stampede, which runs July 5 to 14 and attracts thousands of visitors to the city. It is Alberta’s flagship festival and hotels sell out weeks in advance.
Ms. Gondek said the city is looking at data from years past to understand what kind of water usage spikes may happen during Stampede and other summer events, but it needs more time to examine water usage mapping throughout the region and better understand the timeline for full repairs.
Calgary’s water crisis stems from the fact that the city cannot get water from the Bearspaw treatment facility to reservoirs. It has been relying on the older, smaller South Glenmore treatment plant instead, but that means the system is operating at about half of its full capacity.
Declaring a local state of emergency gives the city additional flexibility to more easily deal with the evolving situation and any unknowns it encounters along the way, Calgary Emergency Management Agency chief Sue Henry told media Saturday.
Yet uncertainties remain, Prof. Stadnyk said, including sourcing and delivery of supplies, and ensuring adequate personnel to actually complete repairs.
Acute care facilities in Calgary have continued to have adequate water supply and no surgeries have had to be postponed, Alberta Health Services said in a statement to The Globe and Mail on Sunday.
The health agency said it stockpiles water as part of an overall loss of water contingency plan, and it has had discussions with the Calgary Fire Department about connecting to water tankers to support fire suppression systems if needed.
Businesses consume around 35 per cent of Calgary’s treated water. On Friday, car washes, dealerships and repair shops were all asked to stop using water to clean vehicles, and many other businesses have taken steps to cut back water use.
Brad Goddard, vice-president of business development for Big Rock Brewery, said the city contacted his business the day of the water main break requesting a voluntary reduction in water usage. He estimates that the brewery has reduced water consumption by about 500,000 litres so far, cutting production of the popular lagers usually brewed for Canada Day, the Calgary Stampede and the peak of summer.
“It’s challenging, because there’s a moment where we’re not just going to be postponing brews; we’ll have to cancel them, because we won’t need the beer in September,” said Mr. Goddard, who added that they are mulling trucking in water from other municipalities.
The Ship and Anchor pub, something of an institution in Calgary’s 17th Avenue bar district, said on social media Saturday it is pouring water for customers only when requested, and using leftover and rainwater for plants. It’s also using ice sparingly in beverages and working with plumbers to reduce water use in its automatic toilets and taps.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly said a 2019 National Research Council report found that 30 per cent of Canada's water and wastewater infrastructure is at or beyond its service life. The information was stated in the Canadian Infrastructure Report Card 2019, which is not associated with the National Research Council. This version has been updated.