Calgary could have water service by Canada Day should all go as planned, according to Mayor Jyoti Gondek.
Fireworks are also being planned to celebrate the country’s birthday on July 1.
The mayor provided the rosy update in Wednesday afternoon’s briefing, where she outlined the next four steps and the prescribed timeline they are on.
Hotspots were backfilled and road re-paving began, setting the stage for the final four steps to bring Calgary’s water service back to normal. Mayor Gondek said that the remaining steps involve filling the pipe slowly, flushing any debris, testing and then slowly filling and stabilizing the system.
“As the pipe is filled and brought up to capacity, it will be monitored closely to make sure that nothing is going awry,” the mayor said.
“Then the flushing of the pipe will likely begin on Friday to remove any debris or other substances and allow for clean water to flow through the feeder main.”
The mayor said that if every step goes ahead as planned, water service restoration could be done by July 1 in time for Canada Day celebrations.
“At that time, we could be looking at easing the indoor water reductions that we have asked you to employ and that you’ve become so good at, but we’re not there yet,” she said.
“I know that we can see the finish line. It’s close, but we still have more work to do, and we’ll provide you with all the updates we can about how everything is going.”
Calgary Emergency Management Agency Chief Sue Henry said that Canada Day festivities – including fireworks – are something Calgarians look forward to annually.
“While we always had planned to go ahead with daytime programming that didn’t drive any additional water use, after much planning, we can confirm the evening fireworks will proceed as scheduled.”
Closures for flushing and fireworks
Chief Henry said that there would be some pathway closures and detours in Edworthy Park as the city moves into the filling and flushing phase of the return to water service. Starting Thursday night, the north parking lot near Edworthy Park and Bowness Road will be closed, and remain in place until further notice.
Sections of the Bow River Pathway near Angel’s Cafe and the north parking lot will be detoured and Henry wants people to follow the signage in the area.
“This work will also have some impact on our river users, as it involves releasing large volumes of dechlorinated water into the Bow River near Edworthy Park,” Henry said.
“This work is expected to take one to four days to complete, and during this time, the river will remain safe for floating and boating, but for the safety of users, we ask that you stay off of the north shoreline of Edworthy Park this long weekend.”
The fireworks will go ahead, as mentioned, as the Calgary Stampede has offered on-site safety with the Calgary Fire Department and access to non-potable water for any potential fires.
“We have decades of experience setting off fireworks at stampede Park, and Calgary fire will be in attendance, as they always are, for any issues that arise, to help handle them quickly,” Henry said.
Viewing of the fireworks will not be allowed at Stampede Park as set up for the Calgary Stampede will be underway. Vehicle access into Ramsay or Scotsman Hill will also be restricted, so Chief Henry advised citizens against travelling there to watch the fireworks.
