‘Loss of life territory’: Calgary officials warn of consequences for high water use
Posted Jan 5, 2026 6:37 am.
Last Updated Jan 5, 2026 5:06 pm.
City officials say it is critical that water use drops in Calgary as repairs continue on the Bearspaw Feeder Main that ruptured last week.
In an update on Monday afternoon, Emergency Management Chief Sue Henry said usage spiked on Sunday and it could put lives at risk in the event of a large fire, where millions of litres could be needed for one event.
According to city data, Calgarians used 510 million litres of water on Sunday, well above the safe zone of 485 million litres, putting usage in the ‘red’ zone that is considered unsustainable.
Mayor Jeromy Farkas echoed those warnings on social media Monday morning, warning of the dire consequences of continued high water use.
“Without changes, we’ll enter loss-of-life territory, where firefighting and emergency response may be compromised,” he wrote on X. “This is serious. Reducing use now protects lives and keeps essential services running. Please conserve.”
Infrastructure Services General Manager Michael Thompson says the higher water usage is leading to “overelliance” on the smaller Glenmore Water Treatment Plant.
“We are currently running three times normal to keep up with our demand,” said Thompson. “We are working very hard to keep it running at this capacity, but if there are any mechanical or other issues, it will have a serious impact on our water supply.”
Boil water advisory lifted
Communities in northwest Calgary impacted by a massive water main break last week no longer have to boil their water, after the advisory was lifted Sunday.
Residents and businesses in Parkdale, Montgomery, Point McKay, and West Hillhurst can now safely consume water from the tap following testing from the City of Calgary’s Water Services’ lab, Alberta Health Services (AHS), and Alberta Environment and Protected Areas.
The boil water advisory was issued Dec. 30 after the Bearspaw South Feeder Main broke the same day.
Anyone who hasn’t used their household water system in the last 24 hours is advised to flush their systems before using it for the first time. To do that, city officials say to turn the bathtub tap on cold for 10 minutes. All other faucets can be turned to cold for five minutes.
Henry says the direction to flush may seem counterintuitive to existing water conservation messaging, but it is imperative to ensure safety for residents who were under a boil-water advisory.
Despite the lifting of the advisory, Calgary remains under stage 4 water restrictions.
As most residents return to work and school Monday, officials expect demand to spike further.
Calgarians and residents of Strathmore, Airdrie, Chestermere and Tsuut’ina Nation continue to be asked to run dishwashers and laundry only when full, limit showers to under three minutes, and flush toilets only when necessary.
Ongoing repairs
Infrastructure General Manager Michael Thompson says crews hope to have a new piece of pipe installed and working by next week at the damage site.
“We removed the damaged pipe and are sending it to a facility for further investigation,” says Thompson. “Crews are now inspecting the pipe in the ground using both human and robotic methods.”
Once the inspection is complete, crews will begin installing the repaired section.
“If everything goes well, we are planning on having the repair complete and the pipe operational by early next week,” says Thompson.
City officials say their acoustic monitoring systems heard 18 total wire snaps along the feeder main over 2025, and none were detected in the two months before the break last week.
Unlike in the break in 2024, when crews made several rounds of repairs before the Bearspaw Feeder Main was brought back into service — the city’s priority this time around is to get the pipe up and running as quickly as possible and then reinforce it with concrete encasing.
Thompsons says the reinforcement work will happen by the spring of this year. Future shutdowns of the feeder main may be required to complete the work.
Area road partially reopens
As of Sunday evening, the city has reopened a single eastbound lane on 16 Avenue NW east of Sarcee Trail NW.
Access to eastbound 16 Avenue NW from Sarcee Trail has also reopened, according to the city.
With the opening of eastbound 16 Avenue, 49 Street NW is back to normal operations. This means there will no longer be a left-hand turn from southbound 49 Street NW onto 16 Avenue.
Drivers who want to travel eastbound on 16 Avenue NW should use Home Road NW.
Westbound traffic along 16 Avenue NW between 49 Street and Sarcee Trail NW remains closed.
There is reduced speed through the construction area.
