‘It’s time to get ready’: Calgarians asked to start preparing for March 9 water restrictions

With water restrictions taking effect Monday, Calgarians are being told to start preparing now, as the city warns water supply will be limited.

A major water line, the Bearspaw South Feeder Main, will be shut down March 9 for critical repairs expected to last about four weeks.

With that line out of service, the city won’t be able to supply water at normal levels to Calgary or nearby communities like Airdrie, Chestermere, Strathmore and Tsuut’ina Nation.

“It is challenging and it is embarrassing that we are having this conversation in the first place, but I want to be very clear with Calgarians, we are taking the needed steps to fix this problem once and for all,” said Mayor Jeromy Farkas. “That’s why we are making this generational investment to replace this pipe and to do it on an incredibly ambitious timeline.”

Officials say every resident needs to cut back by about 25 litres of water a day to keep the system from being pushed too far. That means using the next few days to get ready — finishing laundry, washing large items, fixing leaks and preparing to limit water use once restrictions begin.

“Last week, Calgarians were using between 504 and 515 million liters of water a day. We’re asking everyone to help us get down to 500 million liters a day,” said manager of infrastructure Michael Thompson. “515 to 500 is a three per cent change overall, a really small change, and we’re asking you to do that by doing those three small things.”

Starting Monday, people are being asked to take shorter showers, flush less and only run full loads of dishes and laundry.

City officials say if people don’t reduce demand, it could put serious pressure on Calgary’s water system while crews complete these urgent repairs.