Calgary’s Mayor Jyoti Gondek and City Council held a Feeder Main Maintenance Press Conference this morning at 10 a.m. addressing the work and the need to continue reducing water consumption.
“Because the water network underground is actually a series of pipes and storage tanks, one of the significant points that gets monitored each day is whether we have enough water to refill those underground storage tanks or community reservoirs each night,” she said, adding there are many tanks across the city underneath soccer fields or green spaces.
Another monitoring point is at the Glenmore water treatment plant, which typically provides about a third of the city’s water and is now producing about 70 per cent of its water. Gondek noted that the increased pressure on the plant has resulted in a pump failure and a malfunctioning component.
“Preventative maintenance at the Glenmore facility is not possible while the Bearspaw feeder main is being repaired,” she said. “It’s important for all of us to band together in reducing our water usage to lessen the strain on the Glenmore plant.”
A bypass solution resulted in the system being able to disperse an additional 30 to 35 million litres of water each day but the system is still working at maximum capacity, she added. If production at the Glenmore plant must be reduced for maintenance, there will be immediate consequences on water consumption.
Gondek added that residents reduced water use by 30 million litres in a single day in June, which tells her residents can do it again.
The construction period for the repairs of the Bearspaw Feeder Main is at its halfway point and Gondek said things are looking positive for timely completion on Sept. 23. The completion of the work will be followed by several days of flushing and bringing the pipe back into use, which means the city anticipates water consumption to return to normal on Sept. 26.
Three of the four sites in Calgary’s Bowness area are in the final stages of backfilling and paving. In the next two weeks, work will continue on the fourth site along 33rd avenue as well as the remaining sites along 16th avenue. Gondek praised the residents being affected by the construction and said the city is working with businesses to ensure support.
