Calgary water restrictions in effect, expected to remain for 4 weeks

Water restrictions are in effect for Calgary residents as the city begins reinforcement work on a major water main.

The Bearspaw South Feeder Main shut down Monday for the project, which is expected to last roughly four weeks.

The feeder main normally supplies about 60 per cent of the city’s water. During the shutdown, Calgary will rely on the smaller Glenmore Water Treatment Plant, which is operating at maximum capacity, for water.

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“No outdoor water use is permitted at this time. We’re also asking Calgarians to take steps to reduce their indoor water use by 25 litres per person each day,” the city said on its website.

“By keeping our water demand below 500 million litres of water, we stay in the green zone. This means demand can be met by the drinking water system during the reinforcement work.”

The city added that if it exceeds that daily limit, Calgary will be put at increased risk of insufficient water to fight fires, low water pressure and potential boil water advisories and/or system failure resulting in no water.

Recommended steps to limit water use include skipping toilet flushes, reducing showers to three minutes or less and only running dishwashers and washing machines with a full load.