Live updates: Calgary water main break update on June 28

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With repairs now complete, flushing and water testing for Calgary’s damaged water main are on track to be completed ahead of July 5, in time for the Calgary Stampede.

In the meantime, the city is supplying non-potable water to residents at seven locations throughout the city.

Here is everything you need to know today as the city continues to deal with a water crisis:

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What you need to know about Calgary’s water emergency

Calgarians used 473 million liters of water Wednesday, which is well above the 450 million liters the city would like to be at in case of emergencies.Canada Day fireworks will proceed, with safety plans in place.Filling of the pipe has begun, with flushing to follow in the next few days.The city has opened seven sites where construction companies and residents can gather free, non-potable water from the Bow River.Councillors are raising questions about the cost of the ongoing water crisis.The city issued a local state of emergency at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 15.The city identified five additional issues with the pipe which have been repaired as of Tuesday, June 25.Stampede will go ahead.Calgary is operating under Stage 4 water restrictions, meaning all outdoor water use is banned.Commercial and industrial water users have also been asked to cut back, with Gondek asking businesses to consider allowing employees to work from home to “save them the time of having a shower in the morning.”

WATCH LIVE: City of Calgary morning update – June 28th

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Mayor Gondek emphasized that while repairs on the pipe are complete, the water feeder main is not back in service yet and will not be for several days. Thursday, Calgarians used 500 million litres, the most usage since water restrictions were put in place.

Gondek pleaded with Calgarians to do better in reducing water consumption, “we can do difficult things” she said.

Filling the pipe is set to be complete Friday night, after which workers can move on to flushing the pipe. The mayor reminded that during the filling and flushing phases, there are risks of pipe failure, and contingencies are in place. Privat sector pipeline experts were consulted to ensure the feeder main is brought back into full service as quickly and safely as possible.

As city nears lifting water-saving measures, conservation still urged

Traffic was to resume on 16th Avenue N.W. on Thursday after workers completed paving the site of water main repairs, the city announced Thursday, as it continues to fill the pipe with treated water before flushing out the debris on Friday.

“We are actually very close to being able to lift some of those measures that we asked you to practise to save water inside your homes,” Mayor Jyoti Gondek said at a news conference.

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“But we’re not quite there yet.”

The city will test the water over the weekend and, if the results meet safety standards, the feeder main will be stabilized as treated water enters the pipe. The city expects to complete these stages by Monday and ease indoor and outdoor water restrictions later next week if everything falls into place.

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WATCH: City of Calgary afternoon update – June 27th

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Crews have begun filling the pipe with water, with flushing set to take place tomorrow and testing of the water planned for the weekend.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek emphasized that it will still be several days before water service is restored, urging Calgarians to continue reducing water usage over the weekend.

Once the feeder main has been filled, flushed, tested and stabilized, indoor water-saving measures may be eased. Once crews say that the city’s water system is stabilized, outdoor water restrictions will be gradually reduced.

The fire department will make a decision regarding the fire ban in the coming days.

CEMA Chief Sue Henry expressed gratitude for rain that fell Wednesday evening, as well as the forecasted rain for the next few days. “This precipitation is welcome,” she said.

While the rain delayed some paving efforts, the overall timeline remains with a goal of July 1 for reduction of indoor water-saving measures.

Henry also issued a reminder that while the city’s Canada Day fireworks will go as scheduled, Calgarians are not to set off their own and doing so may result in fines.

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On Wednesday, 590 people visited the seven non-potable water access sites, providing 46,140 litres of water to residents.

WATCH: City of Calgary morning update – June 27th

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This morning a visibly frustrated Gondek gave the latest water update, concerned that some residents are starting to get frustrated with the water restrictions and the amount of water that is being used in the city. Yesterday Calgarians used 473 million liters of water, which is well above the 450 million liters the city would like to be at in case of emergencies.

“We must slowly bring the feeder main back up to regular flow and pressure. In the meantime, water conservation is needed so we don’t put too much stress while the water system is being prepared for full service.

“Some of you seem to be done with efforts to save water and I understand how frustrating it is and how long it is but we need to keep doing more; we’ve seen a steady and concerning trend of water usage creeping up in the last few days,” said Gondek.

The good news out of the update is that 16th Avenue will be open to traffic fully tomorrow. It will be a bit bumpy until the paving is finished but it is ready for traffic flow once again.

At the seven non-potable water stations set up around the city, residents have picked up around 600,000 liters of water to be used for things such as personal gardens.

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Water service could be restored by Canada Day as city begins work of adding water to ruptured feeder main

Water service could be restored as early as Monday with restrictions easing soon after, city officials announced Wednesday.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek said the process of refilling the repaired feeder main will begin Wednesday night, followed by the flushing of any debris, the testing of treated water and the stabilization of the pipe.

“These next few days are going to be critical to making sure that we provide you with updates about what we’re observing as the water begins to flow,” Gondek said at a news conference.

The mayor noted that the timeline could be stretched further if the city encounters any problems during these stages.

Workers will soon start paving the road on 16th Avenue N.W. — which had been dug to repair the feeder main — after backfilling the pipe, which is crucial to “securing it before we can reintroduce water and begin the re-pressurization process,” city general manager Michael Thompson said at the conference.

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WATCH: City of Calgary afternoon update – June 26th

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Mayor Jyoti Gondek shared that filling the pipes will begin Wednesday evening, allowing flushing and testing to begin Friday. This provides an estimated date for service restoration of July 1.

If water service is stable by July 1, indoor restrictions will be eased, said Gondek. She warned that this is a tentative timeline, and water consumption reduction is still necessary. She said that there has been a concerning rise in water use over the last few days.

Beginning Thursday night, the north parking lot at Edworthy Park will be closed until further notice to facilitate flushing of the feeder main. Parts of the pathway in Edworthy Park near Angel’s Cafe and the north parking lot will also be closed.

CEMA Chief Sue Henry said that during flushing, while the river will remain safe for floating and boating, officials are asking people to stay clear of the north shoreline of Edworthy Park over the weekend as a safety precaution.

Henry provided an update on Canada Day festivities, saying fireworks for the holiday will proceed. Safety plans are in place to ensure that scheduled events can go as planned without jeopardizing the city’s water supply.

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While outdoor water restrictions remain in place, the city is supplying non-potable water to residents at seven locations throughout the city including Ogden boat launch, Baker Park, Spy Hill Landfill, Genesis Centre, Ambrose University, Bishop O’Byrne High School and Bankside Day Use area in Fish Creek Park.

The residential-use locations are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and people are asked to bring their own containers. Residents are limited to 100 liters per household.

Commercial-use locations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 645,000 litres of water have been pulled from the non-potable water sites for use.

The city’s 311 line has taken 9,765 calls related to the water event. Seventeen tickets have been issued for water misuse, and six tickets have been issued in relation to the fire ban, according to Henry.

WATCH: City of Calgary morning update – June 26th

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Wednesday morning Gondek said 471 million liters of water was used on Tuesday, which is at 98 per cent of the city’s threshold.

The city is also proposing a budget measure to secure the safety of the water infrastructure in the city over the next two years to make sure proper testing will be in place.

The backfilling in the hotspot areas started Tuesday night and paving will begin Wednesday. This will help traffic flow better and make businesses in the Montgomery area more accessible.

35% of Quebec City residents under strict restrictions after major water main break

Some Quebec City residents will have to restrict their water consumption for at least 10 days as crews scramble to repair a major water supply pipe break.

On June 21, the city announced that a major drinking water supply pipe had broken near Rue de Chamerolles in the Les Rivières borough. Mayor Bruno Marchand told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday that about 35 per cent of Quebec residents must conserve water while crew workers pinpoint the source of the break.

Repair work is expected to start Wednesday at 7 a.m. in the Les Rivières borough and last until July 5.

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Mayor hints at faster fix of ruptured feeder main, but ‘concerned’ as water use continues to climb

The five “hot spots” in the ruptured water feeder main have been fixed, city officials announced Tuesday, as Calgary heads into the critical stage of filling the pipe with treated water and ensuring it is safe to drink.

“To be clear, the repair work is done,” Mayor Jyoti Gondek said in a news conference — however, Calgary is still not in the clear.

While the city overcomes a major hurdle by mending the damage to its main pipe that carries drinking water to the rest of the city, the challenge it now faces is to bring the feeder main back into use through four stages: filling, flushing, testing and stabilizing.

Using a hockey reference, Gondek said: “We need to play the full 60 minutes, and right now we’re in the last five minutes of Game 7.”

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WATCH: City of Calgary afternoon update – June 25th

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As of Tuesday, repair work on all damaged portions of the pipe is complete. Crews have begun the process of backfilling work areas and will soon transition to site cleanup. Officials expect backfilling to be completed by Wednesday.

City officials will work with AHS on a four step process which includes filling the feeder main, flushing the water, testing the water and stabilizing the system. Filling the feeder main may begin Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Francois Bouchart, City of Calgary director of capital priorities and investment, warns that the increased pressure from filling the water main could cause complications and additional breaks. To mitigate this risk, officials will fill the feeder main slowly, and use acoustic monitors and sensors to detect pressure spikes.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek will continue twice daily updates until full water service returns, which may be sooner than the estimated July 5 date.

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While outdoor water restrictions remain in place, the city is supplying non-potable water to residents at seven locations throughout the city including Ogden boat launch, Baker Park, Spy Hill Landfill, Genesis Centre, Ambrose University, Bishop O’Byrne High School and Bankside Day Use area in Fish Creek Park. The Bankside location opens Wednesday morning.

The residential-use locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and people are asked to bring their own containers. Residents are limited to 100 liters per household.

Commercial-use locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

WATCH: City of Calgary morning update – June 25th

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Welding has been completed at the sites of the hot spots and repair work on the main feeder is in the final stages, with backfilling starting today and continuing into tomorrow.

The timeline for full water services to be restored could have some positive news during the afternoon update, according to Gondek.

Calgary used 476 million liters of water on Monday, getting dangerously close to the threshold.

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