Calgarians continue to deal with a significant break that occurred in the city’s south feeder main on June 5 – its biggest – which supplies water to more than 1.2 million residents as well as the nearby municipalities of Airdrie, Chestermere and Strathmore.
Consumers have been under a combination of mandatory and voluntary water restrictions since the day rupture, which was initially expected to take about a week to repair. The city upped that timeline to an additional three to five weeks late last week and has declared a local state of emergency after officials discovered five more worrisome spots during inspections.
Now that they’re several days in, we asked readers in Calgary to share what they were doing to save water, and they shared their smart and innovative methods to cut back on usage.
The first day was the hardest as they didn’t want us to shower and I usually run and get sweaty. Now I put the microwave timer on so we try and beat the clock for showers. — Diane Bysouth
Like most Calgarians we are doing our part to conserve water use. Waiting for a full load on dishwasher, or handwashing dishes. Limiting toilet flushing. Very quick showers, turning water off while soaping up. Holding off on laundry loads for now. And no outside water use at all. I think we may continue with some of these habits when the water supply returns. — Kj Bailey
It’s been hard to estimate what 25 per cent less water looks like, but I’m doing my best. There’s a container in every sink to catch water from handwashing. As a supreme sacrifice, I put off the housework ... can’t spare the water. Darn! What’s really striking is realizing that for Calgary, this water shortage is limited, and we’ll all have a long shower and catch up on washing. But for so many others in the world, and for so many Indigenous nations in Canada, water shortages are a real and constant pressure. It puts a lot of things into context, gives a lot of uncomfortable realizations. — Heather Clitheroe
Did not fertilize the lawn this year and it looks just fine. — Jacob Froese
I use disposable plates lined and relined with cling wrap daily. – Aruna Hollingshead
We have been doing several things in our house, including keeping a bucket in the shower to collect grey water for the garden, showering less often, using compostable dishes so we don’t need to wash dishes, waiting to do laundry, and following the ‘if it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down’ routine in the bathroom. – Alison MacDonald
I put a very large pot to collect the cold water in the shower before it heats up. It fills the pot almost halfway. This water can be used for cooking or drinking unless my daughter sticks her dirty foot in it – then it’s for watering plants. Once the shower water is warm, I begin the bathing process for three kids: Wet hair and body, turn water off, lather shampoo in their hair and soap on their body, then turn shower back on and rinse quickly. This feels like a normal routine for many families. Also, my kids are thrilled about not flushing the toilet every time. – Heather Clark
Washing hair can wait. So can laundry. – Lea Langelier
Lawn irrigation has ceased completely and workouts at the YMCA have ceased as well due to there being a ban on showers, steam room, whirlpool and pool activities plus no towels. – Malcolm Inglis
We immediately made a plan to reduce showers to 90 seconds, flush toilets only when necessary, drink bottled water and basically not turn on taps unless necessary. We also stopped watering plants, lawn and garden. I even washed my car with a soft towel and half a bottle of water to get rid of the pollen stuck to the paint and windows. It is an inconvenience to us, but we feel we need to do our bit. – Charles MacLean
Opinion: Calgary’s water woes are giving residents a taste of rez life
I save the bit of water I used for my two baths so far to flush toilets, and even water a precious outdoor plant or two, meaning no fresh water goes into a toilet and water is reused as much as possible. – Jen Ens
Recalling my youth when we bathed once a week on Saturday nights I am having sponge baths. Every morning, I fill a two-litre pitcher with water and use that to wash fruits and vegetables throughout the day, and I only use half of the jug most days. It’s easy and kind of reminds of when I was a child and there was no running water on the farm. – Joanne Murphy
I am watering my small vegetable garden boxes and newly planted flowers with nonportable water from the creek behind our house. – Anne Markovich
We are fortunate to have seven water barrels around our house which we are using to water indoor and out plants, flushing toilets, washing dishes and water for our animals. Our short showers are mostly with cool water. – Deb Sabraw
These responses have been edited and condensed for clarity