Calgary is working to ease restrictions on outdoor water use as the city continues to assist water infrastructure recovery following a major disruption in the supply line.

The city is moving to impose three water restrictions, meaning Calgary residents are now allowed to water their gardens, shrubs, and outdoor plants using containers or handheld buckets.

Outdoor taps can also be used to fill containers, but watering must be done manually, rather than using a hose or sprinkler.

The citywide ban on the discharge of fireworks has also been lifted.

Calgary residents used 492 million liters of water on Friday, which is 18 percent lower than usual for this time of year. Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek stated that the level of usage gave the city enough confidence in its water supply to ease restrictions to stage three.

Gondek said, "Just as we asked you to return to normal indoor water usage, we ask you to do the same with outdoor water usage."

"We need to get through this stage each time."

Washing vehicles or outdoor windows is still not allowed under stage three restrictions.

For businesses, watering is permitted for construction purposes - such as dust control, grading, and compaction.

With warmer temperatures on the way, the city's outdoor swimming pools and spray parks will open as soon as possible.

Su Henley, head of Calgary's Emergency Management Agency, stated, "For these safety concerns, public outdoor swimming pools and spray parks have received exemptions from stage three restrictions and will start reopening today."

The city expects to open the spray parks at 1 p.m. (Sunday), but three outdoor swimming pools; Highwood Outdoor Pool, South Calgary Outdoor Pool, and Millican-Ogden Outdoor Pool reopened Saturday afternoon.

Riley Harper, executive director of the Calgary Outdoor Swimming Pools Association, said, "The city of Calgary has implemented stage three water restrictions, so what that means is that outdoor pools are now open."

"People have been extremely excited because they have already started coming."

There are still some additional items to be checked off the list before the remaining outdoor pools can reopen.

Harper explained, "Some of our pools need to be filled, while others are waiting for health inspections, but we expect all our pools to be open by Friday."

The city noted that it is still not permitted to fill private backyard pools.

The city will also close residential water collection sites on Saturday, as Calgary residents can now use water from outdoor taps.

Calgary was under mandatory stage four water restrictions for the past few weeks as crews worked to repair the main supply line at the rest stop and other parts of the pipe.

Indoor water reduction measures were eased earlier this week.

On June 5, 2024, a main 78-inch diameter supply pipe broke in the Montgomery community northwest of Calgary, cutting off treated water supplies to the city’s two smallest treatment plants.