The City of Calgary has shut down a water pump at the Bearspaw Water Treatment plant, reducing the flow of water through the Bearspaw feeder main to 70 per cent of maximum capacity.
The decision was made due to the 10 wire snaps that have been previously detected along the water main, according to Infrastructure Services GM Michael Thompson. No new snaps have been detected, he said.
“Based on this flow rate, we can meet demand under stage one outdoor water restrictions, but we would not be able to meet demand if we lifted restrictions entirely,” he said.
“Therefore I can confirm we will remain in Stage 1 outdoor water restrictions for the immediate future.”
Water usage in the city has risen sharply since July, correlated with the number of hot days in Calgary since the middle of July.
On Thursday, the water usage in Calgary hit 706 million litres.
“This was higher than expected. Although we believe that like Wednesday, heat and sprinkler use were contributing factors. The system continues to be able to meet current demand,” said Thompson.
He said that the City of Calgary would likewise be pausing their daily updates, as it was unlikely that water restrictions would be lifted in the short term.
Thompson said that the city would be sharing details from its pipe diver findings, along with costs and plans for rehabilitation of the feeder main, with the media next week.
“Until then, we’ll be providing short daily updates on water usage and our system status on the city’s social media channels,” he said.
