Calgary emergency officials are expected to deliver a technical update on the city’s critical water supply situation on Sunday afternoon — one day after declaring a local emergency following further inspection of a broken feeder main.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek will be flanked by Calgary Emergency Management Agency chief Susan Henry, City of Calgary Capital Priorities and Investments director Francois Bouchart and City of Calgary Natural Environment and Adaptation manager Nicole Newton.
Speaking to reporters before Sunday afternoon’s update, Gondek said the city reached an all-time low in its consumption of water on Saturday night, using just 438 million litres, as city officials continued working to fix five different breaks in a major water line.
She said the city currently has “enough water stored to meet demand and also protect ourselves in case of any emergencies.”
Gondek’s comments came one day after officials declared a local state of emergency on day 10 of its water supply crisis, triggered by what officials have described as a “catastrophic” water main break.
Officials revealed that work to repair a burst water main is expected to take three to five weeks longer than initially expected.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck situation,” Gondek previously told reporters at a news conference.
She added that she has been in contact with Premier Danielle Smith and other provincial cabinet ministers about what comes next.
The announcement came one day after crews found “significant” additional damage on a crucial feeder main, shifting the expected timeline for restoring normal water service to three to five weeks from now.
The northwest Calgary feeder main was first damaged on June 5. Officials have said the feeder main is crucial for moving water around the city.
— With files from The Canadian Press