Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek confirmed two people who were working on the water main break on Wednesday were injured. Gondek said these workers were taken to hospital, and they are not in critical condition. However, she said crews had instituted an immediate safety stop, so work on the pipe had been halted. Work resumed Thursday afternoon. The removed ruptured pipe was transported to another location for additional failure analysis. Gondek went on to say Calgary has to do more on its water conservation to support the workers trying to restore the safe water supply. She said its water consumption rose by nine million litres on Wednesday, and its supply is lower than it has been in the past few days. At the moment, Calgary does not have enough of a cushion for emergencies. These emergencies include usage in hospitals and firefighting. She asked Calgarians to imagine a fire truck pulling up and facing a serious situation. These firefighters hook up to the fire hydrant and dribbles come out. She called this “a reality if we don’t start conserving more water.” In response, she said it needs to do more. Every day since Saturday, water usage has crept up. She predicted it is the extra toilet flush, the half-full dishwasher load, and the longer shower. Gondek concluded by saying she is committed to ensuring Calgarians are informed about the situation. City of Calgary City Manager David Duckworth said public and employee safety is its top priority. “At approximately 10 p.m., two workers on site — one city employee and one contract employee — were injured,” said Duckworth. “Both workers were transported to hospital for medical care, and work on the site was paused pending a safety investigation.” Although some activities have paused, Duckworth said inspection work will continue and intends to have more information soon. Once this emergency ends, the City of Calgary will conduct a post-incident review to understand what happened, why, and what can be done to prevent future situations. Gondek followed up by saying she woke up Thursday morning wanting to wash her hair. “Took a good look and thought well, I’d really like to do that, but I’m not going to,” she said. “I skipped the shower today.” Since water restrictions have been in place for one week, she said she understands it has been tough. She has posted sticky notes on the toilets around her house requesting people do not flush unless they have to.Gondek said on Wednesday Calgarians need to keep reducing their water usage. READ MORE: SITUATION CRITICAL: Gondek urges Calgarians reduce water usage even moreWhile Calgary came in at the threshold on Wednesday of 480 million litres of water used, she said water usage is creeping up. “So yesterday we used 480 million litres,” she said.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek confirmed two people who were working on the water main break on Wednesday were injured. Gondek said these workers were taken to hospital, and they are not in critical condition. However, she said crews had instituted an immediate safety stop, so work on the pipe had been halted. Work resumed Thursday afternoon. The removed ruptured pipe was transported to another location for additional failure analysis. Gondek went on to say Calgary has to do more on its water conservation to support the workers trying to restore the safe water supply. She said its water consumption rose by nine million litres on Wednesday, and its supply is lower than it has been in the past few days. At the moment, Calgary does not have enough of a cushion for emergencies. These emergencies include usage in hospitals and firefighting. She asked Calgarians to imagine a fire truck pulling up and facing a serious situation. These firefighters hook up to the fire hydrant and dribbles come out. She called this “a reality if we don’t start conserving more water.” In response, she said it needs to do more. Every day since Saturday, water usage has crept up. She predicted it is the extra toilet flush, the half-full dishwasher load, and the longer shower. Gondek concluded by saying she is committed to ensuring Calgarians are informed about the situation. City of Calgary City Manager David Duckworth said public and employee safety is its top priority. “At approximately 10 p.m., two workers on site — one city employee and one contract employee — were injured,” said Duckworth. “Both workers were transported to hospital for medical care, and work on the site was paused pending a safety investigation.” Although some activities have paused, Duckworth said inspection work will continue and intends to have more information soon. Once this emergency ends, the City of Calgary will conduct a post-incident review to understand what happened, why, and what can be done to prevent future situations. Gondek followed up by saying she woke up Thursday morning wanting to wash her hair. “Took a good look and thought well, I’d really like to do that, but I’m not going to,” she said. “I skipped the shower today.” Since water restrictions have been in place for one week, she said she understands it has been tough. She has posted sticky notes on the toilets around her house requesting people do not flush unless they have to.Gondek said on Wednesday Calgarians need to keep reducing their water usage. READ MORE: SITUATION CRITICAL: Gondek urges Calgarians reduce water usage even moreWhile Calgary came in at the threshold on Wednesday of 480 million litres of water used, she said water usage is creeping up. “So yesterday we used 480 million litres,” she said.
