Efforts by Calgarians to conserve water during a summer of restrictions saved nine billion litres, the city said Thursday.
That reduction in consumption was realized since various levels of restrictions went into effect after a catastrophic break in the Bearspaw South Feeder Main in Montgomery on June 5.
The amount is six times the 1.5 billion litres saved during 2-1/2 months of Stage 1 consumption limits in response to drought conditions, meaning water conserved this summer would fill 3,600 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The most recent stretch of Stage 4 restrictions, which banned outdoor water use, ended last Sunday after being in place for nearly a month as city crews worked to repair pipes at 21 locations in Bowness and Montgomery.
Before that, restoration work was performed at six other locations in the city’s northwest.
But a city water services spokesperson said how much that conservation will cost city coffers through reduced water charges isn’t yet known.
“With water restrictions being lifted last week, we are beginning to analyze consumption data to understand conservation efforts and costs in more detail,” they said.
“This information will be shared publicly in future reports to council.”
Earlier this week, the city released a video in which officials thanked residents for their conservation efforts that ensured water remained available and the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant was able to function while supplying nearly all of Calgary’s needs.
“(Conservation) allowed us to continue to provide the service that we consider so important for all you and that you expect,” said Calgary Fire Department Chief Steve Dongworth.
But keeping water use to what the city called sustainable levels wasn’t always a sure thing, with consumption hitting or exceeding the maximum 12 times from Aug. 26 to Sept. 22, while exceeding targets on several days in June while under Stage 4 restrictions.
That prompted city officials to plead with Calgarians to curtail water use on multiple occasions, or risk depleting underground reservoirs that could lead to a boil-water advisory or a breakdown of the Glenmore plant.
On Thursday, the city said its final enforcement figures showed 56 tickets for outdoor water use violations — each with a fine of $3,000 — were handed out since Aug. 26, stemming from 2,326 calls received from Calgarians.
Written warnings and verbal warnings/education were issued 218 and 233 times respectively.
Even so, those nine billion litres in savings are a drop in the bucket when compared to pipe leakage in Calgary’s water distribution system that saw nearly a quarter of the city’s treated water — or 31.6 billion litres — lost in 2022.
Those figures were in a letter presented to the city last May by BILD Calgary Region CEO Brian Hahn.
While the latest conservations savings may be presented “as a win,” they also point up the need to reduce water wastage, said Ward 9 Coun. Jennifer Wyness.
“It shows we didn’t protect our infrastructure and that we’re finding a silver lining in a dark spot,” she said.
There’ll be more episodes of pipeline maintenance and resulting water restrictions in the future, possibly sooner than many would like or expect, said Wyness, with increases in utility bills to pay for them.
“There’s still deferred maintenance coming for us. It’s a challenge for all municipalities in Canada,” she said.
With a changing climate pointing to more drought, there’s also a need to design communities and landscaping in more water-efficient ways, said Wyness.
Meanwhile, city council has said it will explore permanent water conservation measures that would involve day-use schedules, such as those embedded in Stage 1 and 2 restrictions.
Information culled from the summer 2024 restrictions “will be used to guide the Water Efficiency Plan policies, programs and tactics, including finalizing a permanent long-term water schedule for Calgary,” states a city administration report released in early June, a few days after the initial water feeder main rupture.
Thanks to conservation programs and behavioural changes, Calgarians have already cut back their collective water use from 518 litres per capita per day in 2003 to the target of 350 litres in 2023, according to the city’s website. That total includes both residential and commercial/industrial use, however. For residential use, the average is 170 litres per capita per day.
— With files from Scott Strasser