‘The taps will run dry’: Calgary mayor issues bleak warning as city reaches threshold

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the city is facing an “urgent crisis” as work continues to repair a water main break last week that triggered city-wide water restrictions.

“I’m standing here this morning with one message, and one message only: We must do better,” Gondek said during a Friday morning update.

“Since last Saturday, our water usage has been trending upward. Two days ago, we surpassed the sustainable threshold and today we are at that threshold.

“Yesterday we used 480 million litres of water – that is the threshold. While we reduced our water use slightly from the day before, we simply have to do more.

“We do not have access to the majority of our water supply until this feeder main can be restored to its full function and I am worried about our city and our surrounding municipalities.

“If our water usage continues to trend up, and our water supply can’t keep up, the taps will run dry at some point.

“For those who want a definitive timeline of when that could happen, the only answer is that the more water we use, the sooner those taps run dry.”

She continued, “We cannot give up on our conservation efforts right now, we need to do better and we need to use less water.

“Right now, we are not restricting indoor water use – we are providing you with suggestions – and we are counting on your good will to reduce your indoor water use. 

“But,” she warned, “if we can’t do our part by banding together, there may be some restrictions that come into place. We don’t know what that looks like; I really don’t want to get to that stage.”

Car wash concerns

As of Friday, mandatory Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions were in place in Calgary.

The mayor says one out of every three litres of water being used in the city is from commercial customers.

“More than 700 of the city’s top commercial water users have been contacted directly and they’re doing everything they can to reduce their water use.

Addressing car washes specifically, the mayor said outdoor car washes are “completely shut down” while indoor car washes remain open because they recycle the “vast majority” of the water that they use – about 85 per cent.

Despite this, she urged Calgarians to refrain from washing their car unless they need to for safety reasons.

Why is the city watering trees?

On Friday, Mayor Gondek also addressed complaints that City of Calgary golf courses are still watering their greens and that city crews are watering city trees.

“The water that’s being used is not the water coming out of the water treatment plant. It is non-potable, or ‘recycled water’… It’s not fit for human consumption,” she explained.

“If you are considering taking a bucket down to the river, I am strongly urging you not to do that. You could (put yourself at risk), you could fall in. Please don’t collect water from the river.”

Fire ban remains

A city-wide fire ban remains in place in Calgary, including all city parks.

For more information, you can visit the City of Calgary’s website.