Update Sept. 11: Critical water main repair affecting city-wide water usage
Water use
Yesterday’s water use was 481 million litres, which puts us in the green zone where we can operate the Glenmore Treatment Plant sustainably without strain. Thank you to everyone—Calgarians, businesses and our regional neighbours—for your collective efforts to save water, it is truly making a difference.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen an encouraging display of community spirit. Neighbors have been sharing tips on how to save water, and many businesses have gone above and beyond in their efforts to conserve.
A special mention goes to the landscaping industry, which has made significant cuts to its water use and huge sacrifices to support this urgent repair work.
Construction update
Our construction is continuing to progress well.
At Sites 1 to 4 along 33 Avenue N.W. and Shouldice Park, we have completed all 12 pipe repairs. We are now in the final stages of backfilling and paving before bringing portions of the road back in service.
Next, we will complete work on the concrete curbs, gutters, sidewalks and restore any impacted driveways and landscaping. We expect to finish paving at Sites 2 and 3 today, though paving is weather dependent.
At Shouldice Park, most of the repair work is done, and we’re now starting to remove equipment and fencing.
At Site 5 on 33 Avenue N.W. and 86 Street N.W., one remaining excavation is underway. Backfilling is complete on one segment, and concrete pouring is planned for the other two segments later this week.
Finally at Sites 6 to 8 along 16 Avenue N.W., excavation and concrete pouring are complete and concrete form removal and backfilling are in progress.
We’re happy to report that the majority of the remaining repair work is progressing ahead of schedule. However, with rainy weather on the way, construction, especially paving, may be impacted.
Tomorrow, we’ll provide an updated schedule and share more details about the steps to complete construction and restore normal water service to Calgarians.
A look inside the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant
Note to media: video b-roll of inside the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant is available for download at the top of this release or on our newsroom in the ‘Video and b-roll’ section at the bottom of the page.
Calgary has two water treatment plants: The Glenmore Water Treatment Plant located on the Elbow River and the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plan located on the Bow River.
The Glenmore Plant, which opened in 1933, was originally designed for a much smaller population. By 1972, we opened the Bearspaw Plant to support Calgary’s growing population. Over the past 50 years, these two plants have worked together to provide safe drinking water to Calgary and surrounding communities.
Most of the water from the Bearspaw Plant has to pass through the Bearspaw South Feeder Main to reach your taps. While the feeder main is currently out of service, we are relying heavily on the Glenmore Plant for most of our water supply. This puts significant strain on the Glenmore Plant and the crews who are dedicated to keeping it running smoothly and providing safe, clean water we all rely on.
To keep up with demand, we are operating the Glenmore Plant at full capacity, with pumps and motors working at their maximum. Under normal circumstances, we do not run the equipment at this level so we can perform regular maintenance, allow for cool-down periods and manage any equipment issues that may come up.
When water demand exceeds 500 million litres a day, even minor maintenance issues can quickly impact our ability to supply enough water. By keeping demand at or below 485 million litres, as we did yesterday, we can refill underground storage reservoirs and carry out essential maintenance to avoid major failures at the plant.
Taking small actions inside and not using City water outside really help us keep our water demand within sustainable limits.
With rain in the forecast this week, now is a perfect time to refill your rain barrels or containers. Please continue your efforts to reduce water. Your support is crucial in helping us complete these repairs, and together, we're making great progress in securing a reliable water system for Calgary. For the latest updates, water-saving tips and to sign up for email notifications about the construction, visit calgary.ca/savewater.