Calgary water users hit the water demand target for the first time since level four water restrictions were put in place during the current water main repairs in Calgary.
On Sept. 10, water demand was 481 million litres, which puts Calgary’s water system into a state where the Glenmore water treatment plant can be operated at a sustainable level without undue strain.
Francois Bouchard, Calgary’s director of capital priorities and investment, thanked residents for their hard work to conserve water. He pointed out the landscaping industry has made significant reductions and substantial sacrifices.
“Calgary has two water treatment plants, the Glenmore plant on the Elbow River and the Bearspaw plant on the Bow River,” he said. The Glenmore plant, which opened in 1933, was initially designed for a much smaller population. By 1972, the Bearspaw plant was opened to support the growing population.
“Most of the water from the Bearspaw plant needs to travel through this Bearspaw south feeder main to get to your tap,” Bouchard added. “While the feeder main is out of service we need to rely on the Glenmore plant for most of our drinking water. This places significant strain on the Glenmore plant.”
The plant is being operated at full capacity with pumps and motors working at their maximum, he explained. Normally, equipment isn’t run at this level to allow for routine maintenance, cool down periods, and manage any equipment issues. At higher demand, the ability to address those issues is quickly impacted.
“Keeping water demand at or below 485 million litres, as we achieved yesterday, helps us refill storage reservoirs and allows for crucial preventative maintenance to avoid major failures of the plant,” Bouchard said.
Progress of repairs
The remaining work is progressing ahead of schedule, said Bouchard, but this could be negatively impacted by the upcoming raining weather. An updated construction schedule will be released tomorrow.
There are eight worksites along the feeder main with 21 pipe segments requiring repair. All 12 pipe repairs at Sites one through four have been completed. The final stages of backfilling and paving are ongoing. Paving should be completed at sites two and three today, weather dependent.
At site five, one remaining excavation is ongoing and one segment backfilling is complete with concrete pouring at the other two segments later this week.
Finally, at sites six to eight along 16th avenue in Calgary, excavation and concrete pouring are complete. Concrete form removal and backfill are in progress.
The initial schedule would see the completion of repairs on Sept. 23, followed by several days of filling, flushing, and testing before the anticipated return to normal on Sept. 26.
