City officials said at a press conference this morning, Saturday, that Calgary residents rose to the occasion and reduced their water consumption on Friday, but there is still work to be done.

Chris Houston, the city's drinking water distribution manager, said the city is inspecting the feed line that ruptured on Wednesday, but it will take some time to repair it.

He added, “It’s complicated,” “If all goes well, we’re looking at another five to seven days.”

The city said in a media statement on Saturday that city crews reached the affected part of the main water outage and were able to remove water, dirt, and debris overnight to analyze the leak site.

It added that crews are preparing the main feed line for inspection to determine the next steps toward cutting out the damaged section of the pipe and replacing it.

Nancy Mackay, director of water services for the City of Calgary, said on Saturday that the demand for water for the city and surrounding communities in Airdrie, Chestermere, and Okotoks reached 484 liters, which is equal to the city’s supply capacity.

Mackay continued, “We have made progress in pumping water.” “As a result, our (water) supply is in a more sustainable position.”

While residents faced the challenge on Friday, Mackay issued a warning about water use over the weekend, particularly emphasizing the need to avoid using water for outdoor activities.

This includes watering lawns, filling pools and hot tubs, washing cars, and gardening.

Mackay said, “I’m a gardener, but this is not the time for gardening.”

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek was more blunt.

After thanking residents for restraining their water usage and helping the city achieve its goal of reducing water consumption by 25 percent, she said the city’s water supply remains in crisis and will continue into next week.

She said, “We will run out of water if we don’t take some individual actions.”

Referring to the community of Bowden, where the main water outage occurred, Gondek took a moment to thank the more than 700 businesses in the community that she said are doing everything they can to conserve water.

She said, “Continue to support businesses in Bowden.” “Buy coffee, buy pastries.”

“They can really benefit from your support right now.”

Fire ban in place

Sue Henry, head of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, said the fire ban is still in effect.

Adding, “This allows our fire department to ensure that water is available for any critical firefighting efforts.”

Henry said the city received 300 calls on its 311 line reporting water misuse, and 23 calls regarding the fire ban.

She added that no tickets have been issued so far, but that could change in the future.

Boil water advisory remains in effect

The boil water advisory remains in effect for Bowden. Mackay said the timeline for lifting that may extend beyond the 5-7 days needed to repair the main feed line, as the city needs water supplies to return to normal before it can flush the pipes in Bowden.

Road restrictions are still in place. Drivers are also encouraged to avoid the area around 16 Street and Home Road.

Updates are available at Calgary.ca/wateroutages.