By Canadian Press

Calgary declares state of emergency amid prolonged water main repairs

Jun 15, 2024 | 9:51 AM

The City of Calgary declared a state of local emergency over the city’s constrained water supply on Saturday, a day after officials revealed that work to repair a burst water main is expected to take three to five weeks longer than initially expected.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said she signed the paperwork to declare the emergency on Saturday morning following the investigation of the broken pipe, which uncovered five more areas in need of repairs.

She said the declaration grants the city powers it ordinarily wouldn’t have, such as allowing city workers to enter private property to expedite repairs.

“This is not a decision that was made lightly,” she said during a press conference alongside Calgary Emergency Management Agency chief Sue Henry.

“If we can make this happen faster, we will absolutely make it happen faster and I’m determined to do everything that I can to do so.”

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To help speed up the repair process, Gondek said the city has been speaking with municipalities across the continent to source parts, equipment and expertise. She added the city is also looking to the private sector, including companies from Alberta’s energy industry, to help find solutions.

In the meantime, Gondek reiterated a plea for residents and businesses to reduce water usage during the crisis.

That includes allowing employees to work from home if possible, which she said could save people a morning shower and having “to worry about what they look or smell like.”

The mayor had earlier pitched workarounds like no shaving and capturing rainwater in kiddie pools. On Saturday, she pointed to other tangible steps Calgarians can take to reduce water usage in the coming weeks, such as reducing the number of times they flush their toilets each day.

“The truth of the matter is if every household in Calgary did one less toilet flush per day, we would save 12 million litres of water,” she said.

Calgary, a city of 1.6 million people, and some nearby municipalities including Airdrie and Chestermere, have been under a combination of mandatory and voluntary water cutback rules since the major water line ruptured in Calgary’s northwest on June 5.

Gondek said the city reached its maximum threshold of 480 million litres used on Friday — a figure that had stabilized from the day prior.

Anything higher than the threshold means Calgary is using more water than it can produce and will eventually run out.

Fixing the ruptured pipe, which is big enough in diameter for a car to drive through, consists of welding a replacement pipe into place, cleaning it and testing it.

Henry said an analysis of the pipe conditions earlier in the week revealed the break was “catastrophic.”

“We’ve seen the complexity of the one fix that we’ve been managing for the last week,” she said.

“Now that we have five fixes to make, this will be a complex undertaking and we need to make sure that we have a smooth path ahead and mitigate as many circumstances as possible.”

The updated timeline for repairs also means water restrictions are likely to be in place through the start of the Calgary Stampede, which is scheduled July 5-14 this year.

The annual fair and rodeo is known for attracting droves of tourists and filling Calgary bars and restaurants throughout the 10-day festivities.

But Gondek said she wouldn’t speculate on whether this year’s edition will need to take place under adapted rules if the situation is not resolved by opening day.

“What I can tell you is that we’ve got really good partnerships at the city with many organizations, including Calgary Stampede, and I’m looking forward to understanding their perspective after their meeting here yesterday,” she said.

In 2020, the event was cancelled for the first time in more than a century amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and returned the following year under capacity limits.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2024.

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press