Calgary crews working to stabilize water system in final step toward service restoration

Crews are working to stabilize Calgary’s water system as the final step in restoring the city’s water service following a major feeder line break.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said stabilization work began on Sunday.

“This includes adjusting the rest of the water network back to regular service, as we’ve been running mainly from the Glenmore Treatment Plant,” Gondek said during a Monday morning update.

The mayor noted, however, that the stabilization stage is the riskiest, as crews slowly turn on valves to connect the feeder main to the rest of the water network and turn on pumps at the Bowness water treatment facility.

“During this stabilization step that we are in, Calgary is at the greatest risk of another break or a major disruption of service,” Gondek said.

“If we go too fast, this could overstress the system. This could cause leaks or breaks. That’s why we’re being so incredibly cautious and we’re taking things very slowly.”

On Sunday, the mayor said water samples sent to Alberta Health Services for testing met and exceeded quality standards, making way for the final stabilization stage.

Calgarians used 425 million litres of water on Sunday – an all-time low during this water crisis, according to Gondek.

Some Calgarians – particularly in the Parkdale area – may have noticed cloudiness in their tap water on Sunday. The city says this was a temporary condition and water remains safe to drink.

The mayor will provide another update at 2 p.m. MDT on Monday. CTVNewsCalgary.ca will stream the press conference live.