Mayor Jyoti Gondek announced Saturday that the City of Calgary has declared a local state of emergency on Day 10 of its water supply crisis that was triggered by what officials have described as a “catastrophic” water main break.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck situation,” Gondek told reporters at a news conference, adding that she has been in contact with Premier Danielle Smith and other provincial cabinet ministers about what comes next.
The announcement came on Day 10 of the crisis, and one day after crews found “significant” additional damage on a crucial feeder main that shifted the expected timeline for restoring normal water service to three to five weeks from now.
Gondek said declaring a state of emergency will help the city “expedite things,” and most importantly will help allow crews to access private property should they need to address the multiple damaged areas of the water system that have now been identified.
The mayor said she was “very grateful” for the support the provincial government has offered the city.
Gondek was joined at Saturday’s news conference by Calgary Emergency Management Agency chief Susan Henry.
Henry said “we are working as hard as we can to bring that timeline down,” but reminded Calgarians that the “break was catastrophic” and that Friday’s robotic inspection of the damaged part of the water system “has shown need for additional repairs.”
“We know what we need to do and we are working around the clock,” she said.
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Gondek added that “if we can make this happen faster, we will absolutely make it happen faster,” She noted that she has been in touch with industry professionals, including from Alberta’s energy sector, to see help crowdsource ideas that could help crews resolve the situation even more quickly.
The northwest Calgary feeder main first broke on June 5. Because of the water supply crisis, residents of Calgary and several nearby municipalities have been issued a ban on outdoor water use and asked to conserve water indoors as well.
Officials have warned that taps could run dry if water demand exceeds supply. Officials also note that the city needs to have enough water for fire emergencies and other potentially lifesaving needs.
Gondek said Calgarians used the same amount of water on Friday as they used on Thursday but that there is a need to reduce consumption even more.
“We are still at that maximum threshold at 480 million litres uses (per day),” she said, adding that there are many ways Calgarians can reduce water, even just by flushing toilets less often.
“If every household in Calgary did one less toilet flush per day, we would save 12 million litres of water.”
She added that Calgarians can collect rainwater in barrels and buckets to use it for gardening or other purposes that don’t require potable water.
Officials are expected to provide another update on the situation at 2 p.m. local time on Saturday.
Gondek said when city officials learned Friday that the feeder main damage was more significant than first anticipated, “there was no one more disappointed than me.”
She said city crews were also disappointed, “but we had to let people know.”
“I will talk to you every day and let you know how you’re doing in terms of reducing water use,” Gondek said.
“I believe that Calgarians will rise to this occasion as they have on many others.”
On Friday, Gondek warned that if Calgarians do not ensure water consumption stays below the 480-million-litre-per-day threshold that the city says needs to be maintained to ensure adequate supply, the city may have to consider bringing in restrictions on indoor water use.
When asked about the possibility of further restrictions on Saturday, Gondek said “it remains to be seen what we need to do in the coming weeks.”
The new timelines for restoration of normal water service mean current restrictions could still be in place when the annual Calgary Stampede gets underway on July 5.
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