Airdrie's Municipal Enforcement has responded to several complaints regarding residents taking water from storm ponds as the level four water restrictions persist in the city.
In a brief Thursday afternoon update, city officials asked residents to refrain from doing this as it is a safety risk and it is not allowed under the city's drainage bylaw.
According to the city's bylaw, 'Storm Drainage must not be diverted, used or re-used for any purpose without written approval from the City Manager and the applicable Provincial and or Federal agencies. '
The bylaw also stipulates that unauthorized use of Storm Drainage can result in fines between $500 to $1,000. Alternatives to taking water from stormwater ponds include:
- With rain in the forecast this weekend, collect rainwater in a rain barrel or bucket
- Collect water while your shower is heating up
- Use leftover water from cooking eggs, potatoes or pasta
According to the city's data, yesterday showed an increase in water use – creeping up to a 17 per cent reduction from pre-water restriction usage.
"We need everyone to continue their efforts to reduce water use. Genesis Place will be closed throughout the weekend to help conserve water," The City stated.
The City is also underlining to residents that development activities may continue if using non-potable water.
"Contractors have been notified that they can bring water from unaffected areas (e.g., Cochrane, Okotoks) with proper documentation. City operations are also using non-potable water."
On Thursday, the Alberta Emergency Alert advisory was updated to show that the advisory due to the feeder main break along 16 Avenue Northwest in Calgary is still active.
"... Has impacted the city's water supply. Supply levels remain in a critical state, affecting the city's ability to provide water to communities and ensure adequate water is available to support emergency fire suppression. This alert remains in effect for all communities on Calgary's water supply, including Airdrie, Strathmore, and Chestermere," the alert stated on Thursday morning.
The reminder by city officials about storm pond use comes after Airdrie Mayor, Peter Brown issued another plea to residents to conserve water.
"The concern is that people aren't being vigilant. We need to continue to practice the measures that were put in place and let us keep those numbers at least at 25 per cent. It allows our reservoirs to remain full," Mayor Brown noted. "We don't want to see a reduction in how much water we get; we don't want we don't want to be a burden on that system."
Mayor Brown said he understands residents' frustration, but he said that minor changes in one's water consumption do count.
"Let's make every drop count. If you are brushing your teeth, wet your toothbrush, shut it off; wash your hands without the water running in the backdrop," he added. "Most of us have a high-pressure system in our faucets. Do not fire them on full blast. We just need to be a little bit more responsible with our usage. I know it's frustrating to people, but at the end of the day, we're really lucky to have the system that we have."
The Mayor noted that looking back into Airdrie's history, there have not been any significant challenges with access to clean, fresh drinking water.
"This is the first time we've had a bit of a hiccup in the system. Let us protect the system. Let's do those little things."
He noted that areas north of Airdrie that are not reliant on Calgary's water system, such as Crossfield, sell bulk water, which is also an option.
"I just hope everybody realizes this is important for our infrastructure and maintaining our infrastructure at the best possible capacity. Drinking water is the most important thing we have as a community. We want to protect that resource while this repair is being made."
Previously, Airdrie's water consumption use was recorded to be down an average of 23 per cent since June 5, before the water main break and the outdoor water restrictions were announced. Under level four water restrictions, residents can not:
- Water lawns, gardens, trees, shrubs and flowers by any method other than rainwater.
- Wash down any outdoor surfaces, including exterior building surfaces, windows, sidewalks, driveways, or walkways of any sort unless your business requires them to for health and safety reasons.
- Wash cars on driveways or streets.
- Fill outdoor decorative features, fountains, pools, or hot tubs.
- Use potable water for construction purposes such as grading, compaction, or dust control.
The City is strongly encouraging voluntary indoor water restrictions which include:
- Use dishwasher and washing machine only when required and with full loads.
- Turn off the tap when brushing teeth or shaving.
- Limit showers to five minutes or less and keeping baths shallow.
- Scrape plates clean rather than rinsing food off.
- Turn off humidifiers and ice machines, delay washing vehicles,
- Businesses using large volumes of non-essential water, such as laundromats and car washes, are being asked to reduce water use.
- Businesses using water to deliver a product or service that is life sustaining for people and animals are exempt. Other exemptions include any businesses that must use water to meet health code standards, such as health centres and restaurants.
"There are no boil water advisories in effect within the City of Airdrie and water remains safe to drink. We thank residents for their cooperation in making temporary sacrifices to ensure that Airdrie and our surrounding communities have water for life-saving purposes," The City added.
Work on water main break repairs to resume
In an update, The City of Calgary stated on Thursday afternoon, that work had restarted in repairing a large feeder main break near 16 Avenue Northwest and Home Road following an incident overnight that injured two workers on site.
"Shortly before 10 p.m. on Wednesday, a City employee and a contractor working on welding repair were injured. Both workers were transported to hospital, one in stable, non-life-threatening condition and one in serious, non-life threatening condition," a city release stated.
Work was shut down immediately to keep the site safe. Following Occupational Health and Safety Alberta’s inspection this morning deeming the site safe, work is expected to resume this afternoon.
"Due to the safety incident that occurred overnight, we had to temporarily pause our work on site today. The safety of our staff is our number one priority," said City of Calgary Chief Administrative Officer David Duckworth. "This incident is a reminder that while we are committed to this critical work it can also be dangerous. It is more important that we do it safely and not just fast."
In the meantime, the removed pipe was transported to another location for additional failure analysis.
"We continue to assess the information collected from our inspections to inform our plans going forward. We are in the final stages of completing the repair and are finalizing our plan to return the pipe into service," The City stated.
On Thursday afternoon, Mayor Gondek underlined her warning from this morning about the worrying trend of water usage rising in Calgary.
"Yesterday we used the most water since Saturday and that is taking us far above the safety threshold. Our supply is lower than it has been in the last few days. This morning, we were at a place where we did not have enough of a cushion for life-saving efforts like those in hospitals or firefighting," she added.
Calgary Emergency Management Agency Chief, Sue Henry underlined the Mayor's plea for water conservation, explaining that on Wednesday evening, Calgary fire crews were called to a two-call alarm fire in Calgary's southwest.
"Due to the quick response efforts and early intervention of the Calgary Fire Department, approximately 100,000 litres of water was used to extinguish the fire. On an average basis, this kind of fire could require 600,000 litres or up to 1.5 million litres to put out," Henry explained. "This is a great reminder for us to ensure our first responders have the water that they need to respond to public health and safety situations."
Airdrie City officials' update on arenas
There was also an update earlier Thursday from City of Airdrie officials, confirming that arenas across the city are re-opening.
"What we were able to do for the arena[s] is, we were able to find a creative solution, where we sourced water trucks from outside the Calgary region. We are using water that is north [of] Airdrie... That is not drawn from the Bow River or the Calgary region to now fill our ice resurfacer," said Brad Anderson, Manager of Genesis Place and Arenas.
Anderson added that this solution will help The City fulfill its bookings at both Genesis Place and the Ron Ebbesen Twin Arena. He did however underline that the city-operated pools remain closed.
"Unfortunately, there's no creative option for the pool. We can't source water and the pool consumes thousands of litres of water per day; between the showers and the filling of the pool."
He noted that Airdrie is mirroring water-related restrictions from Calgary, including municipal recreation facility closures.
"Private facilities and those operated by third-party organizations are not bound by this agreement and therefore have more flexibility during this water shortage. Communication about the pool and arena closures, and their impacts, will be sent directly to user groups," The City added on its website.
A fire ban remains in effect for The City of Calgary as well as Airdrie, however after consulting with the construction industry, the Calgary Fire Department is now permitting certain lower-risk hot works activities for roofing (restrictions on this work apply and work using open flames are prohibited).
All Calgary City-operated aquatic fitness facilities and leisure centres are open, including weight rooms. North Mount Pleasant and Wildflower Arts Centres are open. Swimming pools, arenas, water parks and showers remain closed. Detours are in place as 16 Avenue remains closed at Home Road Northwest.
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Wed, Jun 26, 9:00 AM
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