Calgary journalists provide breaking updates and a guide on everything you need to know as the water crisis unfolds
Article content
Calgary’s Bearspaw water feeder main that ruptured beneath Montgomery earlier in June has been repaired, and crews are currently repairing five “hot spots.”
Here is everything you need to know today as the city continues to deal with a water crisis:
What you need to know about Calgary’s water emergency
- The city issued a local state of emergency at 8 a.m. on Saturday.
- The city identified five additional issues with the pipe and says it will now take three to five weeks to repair everything.
- Stampede will not be cancelled.
- The necessary parts for the repairs have been sourced.
- The city has fixed the initial break in the feeder main and is moving on to repair hot spots.
- Six private sector partners have been engaged by the city to help do the work.
- Calgary is operating under Stage 4 water restrictions, meaning all outdoor water use is banned.
- The mayor has asked residents to conserve indoor water use as much as possible, suggesting shorter showers and fewer toilet flushes.
- Commercial and industrial water users have also been asked to cut back, with Gondek asking businesses to consider allowing employees to work from home to “save them the time of having a shower in the morning.”
Advertisement 2
Article content
Watch Live: Gondek gives morning update
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Advertisement 3
Article content
Stampede to move forward, with water-saving contingencies in effect
It was the very first question asked after Mayor Jyoti Gondek revealed last Friday that an internal assessment of Calgary’s ruptured water feeder main revealed five more segments at risk of future failure, necessitating additional repair work and increasing the timeline to restore full water service by an additional three to five weeks: Would the Stampede go ahead this summer?
Calgarians heard the answer to that question was “yes” on Monday, when representatives from the Stampede and Tourism Calgary joined Gondek and other city officials during the daily afternoon press conference to confirm the 10-day festival will be moving forward this year, with modifications in effect to mitigate water usage.
“Fun is not cancelled,” said Coby Duerr, deputy chief of the Calgary Emergency Response Agency (CEMA). “The summer is not cancelled. Festivals and events are important to our city. They celebrate Calgary’s cultural diversity, are good for our local economy and they make Calgary a vibrant place to live and visit, year-round.
Noon News Roundup
Article content
Advertisement 4
Article content
“Similar to the 2013 floods, the 2024 Stampede won’t be cancelled — it just might look a little different.”
This year’s Stampede, scheduled for July 5 to 14, is slated to attract 138,000 out-of-town visitors to Calgary and generate a direct economic impact of $282 million.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Advertisement 5
Article content
Airdrie ‘rallying’ for water conservation as Calgary’s main crisis continues
Calgary’s ongoing water crisis has tentacles beyond the city, as the neighbouring 84,000-person City of Airdrie grapples with similar restrictions.
When the Bearspaw south water feeder main burst on June 5 in Calgary, it was mere hours after Calgarians received an emergency alert about the critical condition of their water supply when that same alert trickled down to people of Airdrie.
Teams from the City of Airdrie have been working “diligently” with the City of Calgary, said Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown on Monday.
“We’re aware of what’s going on . . . the community’s really rallying behind water conservation, doing everything we can,” said Brown.
Trudeau responds to Calgary crisis
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Mayor Gondek over the weekend regarding the city’s state of emergency.
He posted a thank you to social media, directed to all those working around the clock and to Calgarians working to reduce water consumption.
Advertisement 6
Article content
How did Calgary’s water crisis unfold? A day-by-day look at what we know
What most people hoped was a simple water main break earlier this month turned into a complex and catastrophic problem impacting the water system of all Calgarians. When Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek declared the city in a state of local emergency on Saturday as a result of the ongoing problems, the situation became even more urgent.
Click here to read a day-by-day look at how Calgary got to this point.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
What are you doing to save water?
With recent rain, Gondek commended the “ingenious” ways Calgarians collected water, from buckets, to milk jugs and rain barrels.
“Let’s fill those socials with creative ways that you were saving water,” she said.
She read a social media post from the Ship and Anchor Pub on how they are trying to help conserve water and asked other businesses to share their stories.
Advertisement 7
Article content
We want to know the unique things you are doing to use less water. Email us at calgarynewsletters@postmedia.com with your suggestions.
Click here to read the tips we have already received.
The Calgary Herald digital team is collecting your questions and trying to get the answers you deserve.
If you have a question, reply to our pinned comment, or email us at calgarynewsletters@postmedia.com.
On Saturday, our web editor Mackenzie Rhode asked as many of your questions as she could at the afternoon city update. Watch it here:
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
We are also scouring past updates and calling and emailing the city for answers. Here is a few of your questions answered. Click here to read them all.
Q: Does the three to five weeks include flushing and testing time?
A: Yes, that is factored in. During a Friday evening update, Gondek said the added time accounted for repairs and restoration of water service.
Q: Will the Calgary Stampede be cancelled?
A: The mayor said officials will examine water use from previous years to determine the water levels required to accommodate the Calgary Stampede. Meanwhile, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce says: “We strongly encourage the City to mitigate disruptions to ensure our visitor economy and international reputation are unhindered by the current crisis.”
Advertisement 8
Article content
On Monday afternoon, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said that the Calgary Stampede will not be cancelled.
Q: How did these issues go unnoticed until now?
A: City officials say the pipe was approximately halfway through its 100-year life cycle, and there was no reasonable expectation for it to fail or to require multiple inspections to ensure quality.
How will prolonged water main repairs impact Stampede?
Prior to Monday, the mayor refused to speculate on the impact the repairs the city’s water system could have on the Stampede.
During a Monday afternoon update, officials confirmed that the Calgary Stampede will not be cancelled.
“The show will go on,” said Calgary Stampede CEO Joel Cowley.
The business community urged the city to do what it can to protect Calgary’s signature annual event.
“We strongly encourage the city to mitigate disruptions to ensure our visitor economy and international reputation are unhindered by the current crisis,” said Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, in a statement issued Saturday afternoon.
“Generating $540 million in economic impact, the Stampede is a critical time for businesses across several sectors, and any interruptions could have substantial economic repercussions. This is particularly acute for tourism and hospitality sectors that are still working to make up for several challenging years through the pandemic.”
Advertisement 9
Article content
Gardeners’ and residents’ water concerns extend past current crisis
Garden centres sat quiet and cold, while gloomy weather cast a pall over Calgary on Father’s Day and the city’s residents began settling into what’s expected to be multi-week water-use restrictions.
For some Calgarians, anxieties over the city’s water stability have increased as the crisis extends well into its second week. The city’s water systems — often an afterthought among most residents — are also under greater scrutiny by the general public, some of whom are growing concerned about the city’s water infrastructure.
One of those people reflecting on the water systems is Ron Leitch, a resident in the Westgate neighbourhood in southwest Calgary. In preparation for the drought conditions that have been anticipated since last year, Leitch has for months been collecting rainwater and snow using his three rain barrels. Over the past few weeks alone, he’s used nearly 600 litres of rainwater collected from months prior.
Leitch’s concerns over Calgary’s water supply are greater than the current crisis at hand.
Advertisement 10
Article content
Trapping nature’s bounty: Rainwater collection on the rise
Roll out the barrels, buckets and tubs. Calgarians used anything they could this weekend to collect the precious rain that began falling Saturday afternoon.
With the city in a state of emergency and outdoor water restrictions in place, people were encouraged to use any and every container to collect rainwater that could help them water their gardens in the coming days.
“Take advantage of the rain that’s coming, everyone,” Gondek suggested at a news briefing Saturday afternoon, while updating the city on the water crisis. “Get your rain barrels going, your buckets out there. Get any type of container that you need that will help you through the days that there is no rain.”
Calgary non profit puts out emergency request for bottled water
BeTheChangeYYC, a Calgary outreach program serving the city’s homeless population, has reached out to city councillors with an urgent request for bottled water.
Due to Calgary’s current water emergency, stores have imposed a limit on bottled water purchases.
Advertisement 11
Article content
“We are unable to purchase bottled water to replenish our emergency supplies,” said Smith.
With repairs anticipated to take another three to five weeks, Smith is concerned about water accessibility for those living on the streets.
“Dehydration and lack of access to fresh water are already significant challenges among this vulnerable population, and the ongoing infrastructure damage to the water main exacerbates the situation.”
Recommended from Editorial
City receives help from various sources
Six private sector partners have been engaged by the city to do various work on the problem, Gondek said Sunday.
“We also convened two roundtables over the weekend with some other sectors to talk about their ideas and how they might work in this situation,” said Gondek.
With two more roundtables planned over the next couple of days, Gondek said they’ll be talking to experts in heavy construction and technology.
Advertisement 12
Article content
“There are professionals from the oil and gas sector, who sat down with our engineers and hydrologists, again to exchange ideas,” she said.
The City has secured the parts needed to repair all five of the remaining sections, with three segments already in Calgary being prepared for installation.
Two additional segments have been procured from sources in the United States with an expected arrival during the week.
“The city of San Diego was able to send us a length of pipe we need to make these critical repairs . . . and with that they sent a message of hope. Thank you to the County of San Diego,” said Henry.
Advertisement 13
Article content
Article content
