‘Cautiously optimistic’: Calgary water use drops as final steps nearing completion
Posted Jun 29, 2024 9:17 am.
Last Updated Jun 29, 2024 2:59 pm.
With water use back down and flushing of the feedermain nearly finished, City of Calgary officials said Saturday it’s “cautiously optimistic” for the Canada Day date as it works to get water flowing back to normal.
Following 500 million litres used on Thursday, the most amount of water since the crisis began on June 5, water use dropped to 460 million litres on Friday.
The city has long said the threshold considered safe is 480 million litres, meaning issues could arise for hospitals and other medical facilities if a fire were to break out.
“Thank you sincerely for understanding what we needed to do together to ensure that water could continue to flow to all of our homes and businesses and be available for critical situations for life-saving measures, whether in hospitals or through the fire department,” she said in her morning update.
While thanking Calgarians and surrounding areas for their efforts, Gondek says there are still a few steps before the city can give the all-clear.
Those steps are filling the main, flushing it out, having the water tested by Alberta Health Services (AHS), and finally stabilizing it.
She says the first step was completed Friday at 6 p.m., and officials said flushing is expected to be completed sometime Saturday afternoon.
“This step is essential to remove any of the sediment that may have entered the pipe during the repairs,” she said. “This is to ensure that our water is clean and safe.”
As a result, Calgarians may see water being flushed out of hydrants and other pipes in Edworthy Park and Point McKay. Three areas of the park will be closed to the public to allow this work to happen.
Gondek says the water is being de-chlorinated before flowing back into the river system, and says the city is working closely with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas to ensure the “health of the river.”
“We are carefully monitoring where the de-chlorinated water is entering the river downstream,” she said.
“We’ve also taken great precautions to ensure that erosion and sediment controls are in place to protect the riverbank.”
Priorities and Infrastructure Director Francois Bouchart said in the afternoon update that preliminary samples were taken during the flushing process and that the results are “encouraging.”
“Now that the flushing is complete, we will take our final samples and send them for analysis,” he said.
“Protecting public health and delivering clean safe drinking water is our priority. If testing shows that the water is clean and safe, and we have confirmed this with environment and protected areas, as well as Alberta Health Services, we will move to the final step of stabilizing the system.”
The city says keeping water use low is still being encouraged at this time until it gives the go-ahead.
AHS has three parameters for testing, and those are checking chlorine levels, checking for water clarity, and checking for bacteria in the water. The process takes 24 hours.
“But we need the all clear on water quality before we can move to stabilization, and that may involve more than one test and one round of flushing,” Gondek said.
“That’s why the timeline is our best estimate and we still need to be saving water daily.”
The mayor said Wednesday that restrictions could be lifted by Canada Day as long as crews don’t run into any more unforeseen problems as they work to restore the regular water supply.
Bouchart is “cautiously optimistic” about the timeline because of those sampling results and the resulting steps that follow its completion, which is meeting regulatory standards to put the line in service.
“Once the feeder main is back in service, there are a number of steps that we have to take, including turning the pumps at the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant, and also making operational changes within the system,” he said.
“During that time is the highest period of risk in terms of a potential break within our system, and therefore we’re being very cautious in the way that we’re transitioning from the current state with the feedermain out of service into putting that main into service.”
Meanwhile, Gondek compares the current process to personal care needed following invasive surgery, saying that “after the final stitches are done, there is still post-operative care that takes place.”
“Just because you have had your stitches done, it doesn’t mean that the journey is over. Your doctors won’t let you go back to normal immediately,” Gondek
“Right now, the work sites have been stitched up. They’ve been backfield, and they’ve been paved over, and our water crews are now doing that post op care, the filling, the flushing, the testing and the stabilizing, just as your doctor wouldn’t let you get back to regular activities until everything is stabilized after surgery. That’s the position we are in with the feedermain.”
Third-party review to be discussed in city council
The mayor says the framework for the third-party review on the water break is going to be brought forward during council on Wednesday.
She says an advisory group seems to be part of it, and discussion of who the chair would be is also in the talks. She also says it wouldn’t be an internal investigation.
“The scope will cover what happened to the pipe, what happened during the city’s response, and how Calgarians were kept up to speed during the repair and restoration work,” she explained.
“In the same way that I convene the best and brightest minds in the private sector to make sure that the feeder main repair can be tackled as quickly as possible. The independent third-party incident review panel will also have the best and brightest minds looking at all aspects of what happened here.”
When it comes to cost, she says a tracking measure is in place and will be tallied once the water is up and running.
“Please know that we will be looking at our own budgets and our contingencies before we look to any other measures and before we make any other decisions,” she said.
The Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions remain in place along with the fire ban. Fines are now being handed out for non-compliance and the city says they have now fielded nearly 3,000 calls about water misuse.
City officials also confirmed this week that Canada Day fireworks will proceed from Stampede Park, despite the ongoing fire ban.
With files from Lauryn Heintz
