Calgary marks two weeks of water restrictions; pipe arrives from San Diego

CALGARY — It has been two weeks since a massive pipe ruptured in Calgary, leaving residents under water restrictions.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek says it’s also the fourth day in a row Calgarians have used less water than the city produces, avoiding the risk of the taps going dry.

She says two new pieces of pipe trucked in from San Diego have arrived and engineers are to begin work to replace defective ones.

It could take until mid-July to make the repairs and get water flowing through the pipe again.

Calgary, a city of 1.6 million people, and surrounding municipalities have been under a combination of mandatory and voluntary water restrictions since the water main burst in the city’s northwest.

All outdoor watering is banned and people have been urged to reduce toilet flushes, take shorter showers and do fewer loads of laundry and dishes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2024.

The Canadian Press