Roll out the hose and fire up the sprinkler Calgary, you have one hour to water your lawn, starting… now.
With no issues with the repaired Bearspaw water main since capacity was increased to 70 per cent, the City of Calgary said they feel comfortable relaxing outdoor water restrictions to Stage 2 beginning immediately.
The biggest change is that houses ending with an even number can use a sprinkler for one hour on Wednesday or Saturday. Houses ending with an odd number can use a sprinkler on Thursday and Sunday.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said she was relieved that Calgary was finally moving to a point where they could allow citizens the outdoor use of water.
“For the last several weeks, we have faced massive challenges we have dug in, and we have found solutions to some very tricky problems. There was no guarantee that the pipe could withstand the additional flow,” the mayor said.
“While we are not out of the woods yet, I am relieved that we have taken one more giant step forward and are able to share good news with you today.”
Infrastructure Services GM Michael Thompson said that having no new wire snaps since the increase in pressure, gave them the confidence to move to Stage 2 restrictions.
“As I mentioned earlier this week, we’ll continue to proceed with caution. We will monitor on Friday and throughout the weekend to see how our system performs and to ensure that our supply is enough to meet the increased demand,” Thompson said.
“If all continues to go well, we may be able to move to stage one outdoor water restrictions on Monday.”
Thompson said that it’s a combination of no new issues with the water main and the ability to minimize pressure increases in the pipe as they turn on additional pumps. They hope to be able to reach 75 per cent capacity before allowing the jump to Stage 1 restrictions.
With the change to Stage 2, the remaining non-potable water sites will now be closed, Thompson said.
Infrastructure ignored
Mayor Gondek said that these kinds of infrastructure failures are not unique to Calgary. She said they’re being seen in Atlanta, Denver and in Quebec City.
“Frankly, Calgary is on the frontlines of an infrastructure crisis, and I just can’t sugarcoat that,” the mayor said.
“This is a legacy issue that spans back decades. It is not easily addressed, and it has clearly been ignored or written off as too expensive by politicians and governments for some time.”
Mayor Gondek said that Calgary may have got off lucky because their warning about the state of infrastructure has come early. She will be talking with the Association of Maintenance Contractors later this year as they kick off a major project on infrastructure maintenance in Canada.
It’s undetermined how any potential expense tied to infrastructure upgrades might be tackled financially. Mayor Gondek said that they don’t have the full cost of the water main repairs, so they don’t yet know if reserves can cover the amount. Earlier this week, GM Thompson said that the cost was likely in the “tens of millions.”
As for future work, including upgrades and maintenance to the water infrastructure, and monitoring of the system, the mayor said it’s an ongoing conversation. Earlier this year, Calgary city council approved sticking with the prescribed combined property tax rate increase of 3.6 per cent in 2025 and 3.1 per cent for 2026 that’s included in the four-year budget.
Water infrastructure and its maintenance, however, is technically supposed to be covered by water rates. Meanwhile, the City of Calgary is staring down cost overruns on the Green Line, and an Event Centre that’s expected to break ground next week, plus work on the Arts Commons and Olympic Plaza Transformation.
“That’s a serious conversation that council is having right now, and we will carry that conversation on into budget deliberations in November,” Mayor Gondek said.
More information on Stage 2 outdoor water restrictions can be found here.
