Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek requested Calgarians continue to conserve water amid some of them saying they are done doing so. In the last few days, Gondek said Calgary has seen a steady, concerning trend of water usage creeping up. “Yesterday we used 473 million litres of water, and it was another day of very high water use,” said Gondek at a Thursday press conference. “It’s hard to watch that, especially after a week of seeing that we were doing an excellent job of conserving water.” While Calgary is starting to slip, she expressed hope it can get back to the safe place around 450 million litres to ensure water can go to homes and businesses and be used by hospitals, care facilities, and the Calgary Fire Department. She said water should be saved now so it does not have more severe problems in the system. At this stage, she said crews need to finish the job, so every decision people do makes a difference in keeping water flowing. She pointed out this is how Calgary International Airport is operating right now. Calgary International Airport has suspended outdoor irrigation and non-essential water uses. It has asked airlines to refill water needed for their airplanes at places other than Calgary. She called this “a Team Calgary effort, and we all need to find our own ways to reduce water usage.” Three weeks in, she said it should almost be second nature to turn taps off as people wash their hands or brush their teeth and have three-minute songs for showers dialed in. At the moment, she said Calgary is one week away from being in a place to ease up on water restrictions. However, that could change at any moment. She compared easing water restrictions too soon to taking baked goods out of the oven early, handing in a paper without a conclusion, and doing renovations without hanging items back up and painting. In the same way, she said Calgary needs to finish the job to restore water service. Gondek said on Wednesday an independent third party review into the water main break will help to create a long-term vision into Calgary's system into 2030 and beyond. READ MORE: Gondek says City of Calgary to hold review on water main breakShe confirmed City of Calgary City Manager David Duckworth has put together a plan to create an independent third panel and will present it to a committee next week.“The independent review will also help other cities learn how to avoid what happened in Calgary,” she said.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek requested Calgarians continue to conserve water amid some of them saying they are done doing so. In the last few days, Gondek said Calgary has seen a steady, concerning trend of water usage creeping up. “Yesterday we used 473 million litres of water, and it was another day of very high water use,” said Gondek at a Thursday press conference. “It’s hard to watch that, especially after a week of seeing that we were doing an excellent job of conserving water.” While Calgary is starting to slip, she expressed hope it can get back to the safe place around 450 million litres to ensure water can go to homes and businesses and be used by hospitals, care facilities, and the Calgary Fire Department. She said water should be saved now so it does not have more severe problems in the system. At this stage, she said crews need to finish the job, so every decision people do makes a difference in keeping water flowing. She pointed out this is how Calgary International Airport is operating right now. Calgary International Airport has suspended outdoor irrigation and non-essential water uses. It has asked airlines to refill water needed for their airplanes at places other than Calgary. She called this “a Team Calgary effort, and we all need to find our own ways to reduce water usage.” Three weeks in, she said it should almost be second nature to turn taps off as people wash their hands or brush their teeth and have three-minute songs for showers dialed in. At the moment, she said Calgary is one week away from being in a place to ease up on water restrictions. However, that could change at any moment. She compared easing water restrictions too soon to taking baked goods out of the oven early, handing in a paper without a conclusion, and doing renovations without hanging items back up and painting. In the same way, she said Calgary needs to finish the job to restore water service. Gondek said on Wednesday an independent third party review into the water main break will help to create a long-term vision into Calgary's system into 2030 and beyond. READ MORE: Gondek says City of Calgary to hold review on water main breakShe confirmed City of Calgary City Manager David Duckworth has put together a plan to create an independent third panel and will present it to a committee next week.“The independent review will also help other cities learn how to avoid what happened in Calgary,” she said.
