Calgarians can once again expect Stage 4 water restrictions this summer as the Bearspaw feeder main replacement is underway and stop-gap repairs are planned for the ailing existing line.
Calgary city councillors learned more about what may be in store for water conservation efforts this year, as they received a Feb. 3 Executive Committee update on the implementation plan of recommendations from the Bearspaw Independent Review Panel.
Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness wanted to know how communication was going to be done on water conservation, given the intense work plan laid out by Calgary’s Infrastructure Services.
“I just want to push a little bit on what can Calgarians expect on water restrictions coming up. I know we have Bowness, but you’re trying to be everything, but you’re not providing Calgarians with clear communication on what to expect going forward,” Wyness said.
“When I have community associations trying to figure out if they should buy plants and do they have to come up with a watering plan if we are going into water restrictions. Will we be providing access directly from the river for our communities to access water, because those decisions are being made now.”
Nicole Newton, director of climate and environment with the City of Calgary, said that they are making determinations on expected water restrictions during the Bearspaw feeder main shutdowns.
“It would likely be anticipated that we would be in a (stage) four and a four plus, given the demand reduction and demand profiles that we did see in January as well,” she said.
Snowpack, rain may help limit the pain
Calgary relies heavily on winter snowpack and the resulting runoff to replenish the Bow and Elbow Rivers, which feed Calgary’s water supply for the early part of summer.
According to a December Global Calgary story, winter snowpack in some mountain areas is well above average. However, recent warm weather may be melting it faster than expected.
Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions require no use of water for lawns, gardens, trees or shrubs, including irrigation systems. This also means that hoses with a spring-loaded spray nozzle for gardens, trees and shrubs. No other outdoor water use is allowed for residents, except for hand watering food crops.
If the Bearspaw feeder main is taken offline for repairs, it means that the entire city would once again rely on the Glenmore water treatment plant to provide drinking water. It’s likely Calgarians would be asked to try to meet the 485 million litres limit once again.
Coun. Wyness hopes that Calgarians get word of the expected water restrictions with the Bearspaw outage. She said that water users in outlying communities should also be kept apprised of these developments sooner rather than later.
Newton said they’ve begun talking with irrigation and landscaping associations to prepare for potential summer water scenarios.
“We’ve already brought last year an update to the water utility by law that allows for alternate water uses, as well as, again, depending on the stage that we’re in, that would allow certain industries to be able to operate with minimal – you did ask specifically about the access to non-potable sites, and we’ll be starting those up again,” Newton said.
“That is currently under evaluation, just based on the uptake that we had saw and what’s needed, but it is something that we’re considering, It does require a shifting and changing resourcing, so we need to really understand that, and that might be part of the resource update that comes next month as well.”
The City of Calgary has said that once spring hits, urgent work on the Bearspaw South feeder main repairs will move ahead.
