Crews continue to work to repair a major water main break and five other weak spots in Calgary, Saturday, June 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
CALGARY – Residents in Calgary and surrounding communities, fresh off having to conserve water for weeks due to a water main break, are soon going to have to do it all over again.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek announced Wednesday extended tests on more than 10 kilometres of pipe have revealed 16 more problem spots that need to be fixed.
Work on those spots is to begin in about three weeks, on Aug. 28, and are expected to last one month.
Gondek said that means as of Aug. 26 the city’s 1.6 million residents and those in surrounding communities will be urged to conserve water again indoors while a sweeping ban on outdoor watering will resume.
“I understand how much this impacts your life,” said Gondek, who emphasized that the preventative maintenance is about ensuring no more catastrophic water main breaks hit the city.
“I know this is not the news that any of us wanted to hear. At the same time, I’m grateful that we have this important information that allows us to act in a manner that protects our water system against any potential breaks to everyone in the Calgary region.”
Communities affected beyond city limits include Airdrie, Tsuut’ina Nation, Strathmore and Chestermere.
Calgarians were asked to reduce toilet flushes, loads of laundry and dishwashing after the water main ruptured on June 5.
The voluntary indoor restrictions were eventually lifted while the mandatory outdoor ones were being reduced in stages before Gondek’s latest announcement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2024.
– By Lisa Johnson in Edmonton
