We might learn Monday when Calgary’s outdoor water restrictions will be eased

Calgarians might learn on Monday when we’ll move to Stage 2 outdoor water restrictions.

Francois Bouchart, the City of Calgary’s director of capital priorities and investment, made the announcement on Friday during a daily update on Calgary’s ongoing water crisis.

He said the city will be working over the weekend to determine whether to increase flow through the pipe, or to stay in Stage 3 water restrictions for a longer period of time.

“By Monday, we will be making a decision, and we’ll share more about what it means for water restrictions,” he said.

For now, Stage 3 outdoor water restrictions remain in effect.

Calgarians used 565 million litres of water on Thursday, down from the peak of 567 million litres used on Wednesday.

Bouchart said the high usage is to be expected considering the hot weather we’ve seen lately.

If Calgary had been in Stage 2 on Wednesday, Bouchart said it’s believed Calgary’s usage would have been between 70-100 million litres higher.

Calgary has been able to meet current water demand, and Bouchart says water flow through the pipe is sitting at about 50 per cent of its capacity.

“To increase our water supply, we would need to increase the flow of water through the feeder main, any time we increase flow, we also increase pressure, which can cause stress on the pipe.”

Bouchart said they’re being very careful about adding additional pressure and stress to the pipe walls.

“We know there are some spots of structural weakness within the pipe. We need to make sure that when we turn on additional pipes at the Bearspaw water treatment plant to add flow through the pipe, we are doing it in a way that does not risk another break.”

On Thursday, Bouchart said monitors have detected three total wire snaps in the feeder main since Sunday.

“While this is not a sign of an imminent break in the feeder main, it is an indicator that the pipe is under some stress,” he said Friday. “We will continue to monitor closely.”