Officials in Calgary are expressing concerns about excessive water consumption while inspections are ongoing on a recently fixed water main that burst at the end of last month. The city reported that Calgarians used slightly over 500 million liters of water on Sunday, exceeding the sustainable threshold by about 20 million liters. This water main, responsible for transporting around 60% of the city’s drinking water, faced its second significant failure in under two years.
Although the pipeline was repaired towards the end of the previous week, the city is urging residents to cut back on water usage while assessments are conducted to ensure the line’s integrity. Should the inspections yield positive results, the city’s infrastructure services general manager anticipates the pipeline to be operational again within the next few days.
Sue Henry, the head of Calgary’s emergency management agency, emphasized the importance of conservation, mentioning that even small changes like shorter showers and reduced toilet flushing can collectively have a substantial impact. Addressing the media on Monday, Henry stressed the significance of individual efforts, highlighting that residential households account for 60% of water consumption in the city. Consequently, she encouraged all 1.7 million residents to play their part in water conservation.