Mayor Jyoti Gondek held a press conference today to update residents on the progress of efforts to restore the city’s water supply following a significant disruption. The briefing focused on current achievements, remaining tasks, and the ongoing community response.
Gondek acknowledged Calgary residents for their remarkable response in reducing water usage. “Yesterday, we used 460 million litres, a 23% reduction from our typical consumption,” she announced. The reduction was crucial to ensuring that water remained available for essential services, including hospitals and the fire department.
Despite the significant progress, Gondek emphasized that the city’s main feeder pipe is not yet back in service. She detailed the four critical steps required to restore a safe water supply from the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant: filling the pipe, flushing it, testing the water quality, and stabilizing the network.
“Great news on step one: the filling of the pipe was completed at 6 p.m. yesterday,” Mayor Gondek reported. “We started flushing the pipe shortly after that, and that work continues today.”
Following the flushing phase, Alberta Health Services (AHS) will conduct comprehensive water quality tests. This process includes a 24-hour turnaround for testing parameters such as chlorine levels, clarity, and bacterial presence. Only after the water is confirmed safe will the city move to stabilize the network by gradually increasing water pressure.
Residents in the Edworthy Park and Point McKay areas might notice water exiting through valves and fire hydrants. This treated water is being flushed from the system to remove any sediment that may have entered during repairs. “This water is dechlorinated before it is put back into the river system,” Mayor Gondek assured, noting the city’s close collaboration with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas to monitor and protect the river’s health.
As the city approaches the final stages of restoration, Mayor Gondek highlighted the importance of community cooperation. “Your role in this work of water restoration matters,” she said. “As you enjoy the long weekend, please continue to be good humans who are using less water than usual.”
“We’re getting close to having the system back to normal,” she said. “But we still have work to do. Let’s continue to be good water stewards and ensure we can get the system up and running as quickly and safely as possible.”