Скачать или смотреть Calgarians asked to start preparing before water restrictions begin on March 9

The City of Calgary is asking residents and businesses to use the next few days to get ready before water restrictions begin on Monday, March 9.

The Bearspaw South Feeder Main will be shut down beginning on Monday to complete critical reinforcement work, which is expected to last four weeks.

With the feeder main out of service, The City will not be able to supply water at normal levels to Calgary or neighbouring communities, including Airdrie, Chestermere, Strathmore and Tsuut’ina Nation. During the shutdown, we are asking all community members to take action to save 25 litres of water a day.

“This is a moment for Calgarians to pull together,” said Michael Thompson, General Manager of Infrastructure Services. “The actions we each take to save 25 liters a day will keep our community safe. This weekend, it’s time to get ready.”

Start preparing now

Residents are encouraged to prepare by catching up on laundry, washing large items like comforters and washing cars before restrictions take effect. Now is also a good opportunity to find and fix household leaks, which can save water and money well beyond the restriction period.

Once restrictions are in place on Monday, Calgarians are asked to take simple daily actions such as flushing only when needed, limiting showers to three minutes and running only full loads of laundry and dishes.

Tips for saving water in every room of the home, including finding and fixing leaks, are available at calgary.ca/savewater.

Help spread the word

While The City is taking action to get the word out to as many people and businesses as possible, residents are encouraged to help by talking with family, friends, neighbours and coworkers, and by sharing information online.

“The more people who know about the restrictions, the easier it will be to stay within our water limit and protect the system,” said Thompson.

Construction and traffic impacts

Over the four‑week period, crews will reinforce nine pipe segments - six along 16 Avenue N.W. near Sarcee Trail and three at Point McKay Park - and complete additional feeder main–related work.

Starting Saturday morning, March 7, lane reductions will be in place on 16 Avenue N.W. near the Sarcee Trail interchange, along with full closures of the exit ramp from 16 Avenue N.W. to Sarcee Trail and the exit from Sarcee Trail to westbound 16 Avenue N.W. Westbound 16 Avenue will remain open, though travel times may be longer. Drivers heading west are encouraged to plan ahead.

On Monday, crews will shut down water flow through the feeder main and begin draining the water from it. People may see water being released to the river, and are reminded that this is a necessary step before construction can begin. The City will be monitoring water quality in the river to avoid impacts to the environment, as part of regulatory requirements.

Looking ahead

The City will provide its next update on Monday afternoon. In the meantime, Calgarians are encouraged to take the next few days to prepare, place reminder notes in kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms, and to begin saving water at home and at work starting Monday morning.

“Keeping demand below 500 million litres is within our reach,” said Thompson. “I’m confident we can get through this together.”