Despite pleas from the City of Calgary for residents to cut back on their water use, the latest data shows daily water demand is still above sustainable levels.
The city says Calgarians consumed 507 million litres on Wednesday, which is 22 million litres above the sustainable level of 485 million.
The latest information from the city of Calgary shows water consumption is still above sustainable levels, despite pleas for residents to conserve.
Source: City of Calgary
Pleas for residents to conserve water were issued following the Dec. 30, 2025 rupture of the Bearspaw South Feeder Main, which normally supplies about 60 per cent of the city’s drinking water.
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The city expects to have the pipe back in operation next week, but in the meantime, it has had to rely on the much smaller Glenmore Water Treatment Plant, which is operating at close to three times its normal winter capacity, to supply the bulk of the city’s water.
In an update posted to social media on Thursday, the City of Calgary says a new segment of pipe has been put in place, welding has been completed and backfilling of the area is now underway.
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An Alberta Emergency Alert that was sent out earlier this week also asks residents of several surrounding communities that rely on Calgary’s water supply, including Airdrie, Strathmore, Chestermere and the Tsuut’ina Nation, to conserve water.
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Among the steps residents are being asked to take to conserve water are limiting showers to three minutes, only running washing machines and dishwashers with full loads and flushing toilets only when needed.
Emergency officials have also warned that if water use continues at unsustainable levels, it may affect the city’s ability to provide some essential services, such as firefighting.
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On Wednesday, city crews finished installing a new piece of pipe to replace the one that ruptured; however, there’s still more work to do before the pipe is ready to have water pumped through it.
The city says that even after the emergency repairs on the system are finished, the feeder main will need to be operated at reduced capacity, with less water flowing through it, in an effort to limit the chance of another catastrophic rupture.
Municipal officials say there will also need to be future temporary water restrictions put in place at times, when there is more runoff available, while city crews continue work on replacing the entire Bearspaw South Feeder Main.
On Wednesday, an independent report into a June 2024 rupture of the same water pipe said the city has been aware of the problems with the pipe for more than two decades, but had prioritized spending on other infrastructure projects over repairs and upgrades to the city’s water system.
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The city has scheduled a news conference for 1 p.m. on Thursday to provide an update on water usage and repairs.
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