As of yesterday morning, the Bearspaw South feeder main has been shut off with urgent repairs happening on Calgary's water main system.
Water use was 497 million litres yesterday, down from 533 million litres on Monday.
"While this is still above our daily target of 450 million litres per day, it's an encouraging sign that people are taking the needed steps to save water," said Michael Thompson, Calgary's general manager of infrastructure services.
Thompson thanked residents in neighbouring communities, including Airdrie, who are adhering to level four outdoor water restrictions.
Following the repairs resulting from a catastrophic break of Calgary's Bearspaw South feeder main in June, additional testing was done on the pipe’s condition. Several new locations were identified to need immediate repair, which shut down the Bearspaw water treatment plant and prompted water restrictions from Aug. 26 until the end of September.
Thompson explained again on Aug. 28 that if the limit is consistently exceeded, the risk of running out of water becomes greater.
He explained that the rain does not impact the amount of water available, as it's not about a water shortage in the rivers but the ability to get water from the water treatment plant through the distribution system into people's taps.
Residents cannot use city water outdoors and automatic irrigation systems must be shut off, he said. People are also asked to limit showers to three minutes, run laundry and dishwashers only when full, and flush toilets only when necessary.
Draining the system is anticipated to be completed today, said Francois Bouchard, Calgary's director of capital priorities and investment. Excavation is continuing despite the rain.
