On the evening of Wednesday, June 5, a critical water main break occurred in a key supply pipe that carries water across the city. This incident impacts water availability throughout the city.
What you need to know
- A boil water advisory is in place for the community of Bowness. Water is safe to drink in all other communities.
- Mandatory Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions are in place.
- A fire ban is in effect for The City of Calgary.
- 16th Ave N is closed at Home Road.
What you can do to help
Please reduce your water usage wherever possible. All outdoor water use is temporarily banned under Stage 4 Water Restrictions. At this time:
🚫 Don't
- Water lawns, gardens, flowers, trees and shrubs with City water
- Fill outdoor pools or hot tubs
- Wash outdoor surfaces, including:
- Windows
- Exterior building surfaces
- Sidewalks, driveways or walkways
- Fill fountains or decorative water features
- Wash your car in the driveway or street
- Use water for construction purposes such as grading, compaction or dust control
✅ Do | You can help reduce your indoor water use by:
- Using the dishwasher and washing machine only when required and with full loads
- Turning off humidifiers, ice machines and automatic sprinkler systems
- Scraping your plate clean rather than rinsing off food
- Washing vegetables and fruit in a partially filled sink or pot and then rinse them quickly
- Keeping a jug of drinking water in your fridge. Don’t run the tap to get ice-cold water
- Turning off the tap when brushing teeth or shaving
- Limiting showers to five minutes or less and keeping baths shallow
How to go above and beyond
- Donate bottled water to the Bowness Community Association. Donations are accepted 24/7 to the front door at 7904 43 Ave NW.
- Donations of clean water jugs and water containers are also accepted Monday-Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM.
- Support Bowness businesses!
- Stay away from the repair site so that crews can work quickly and safely.
Latest Updates
- Crews have begun repairs and anticipate at least 5-7 days to fix and flush the pipe.
- We still need to conserve water. We will run out of water without reducing use.
- Calgarians have responded to calls to conserve water by reducing their use — thank you! We need to continue these efforts for a few more days.
What happened?
While the issue remains under investigation, the break occurred on a major water main that transfers water through the city.
Crews reached the damaged section of the critical water main yesterday and overnight continued clearing water, dirt and debris to assess the site of the leak. This critical water transmission line has severely impacted the supply in Calgary’s reservoirs and the ability to move water across the city.
Interested in infrastructure funding?
Calgarians are understandably interested in how municipal infrastructure gets funded and maintained. While we're waiting for full details to be revealed about this particular incident, the following resources may be of interest.
- Calgary's Infrastructure Status Report 2020. The report found that The City has an estimated $7.73 billion infrastructure gap, which represents the value of our unfunded infrastructure investment needs over the next 10 years. Link to PDF document.
- Calgary's Municipal Fiscal Gap Report. The report identifies the causes and severity of the municipal fiscal gap and the potential role of alternative revenue sources in addressing it. This report also includes the estimated downloading impact from the provincial government on City finances: an annual average of $311 million in increased costs or funding shortfalls due to adverse changes to cost-sharing or funding arrangements, expanded City roles without funds, and new unfunded City responsibilities. Link to PDF document.
- Making Canada's Growth a Success: The case for a Municipal Growth Framework. This recent advocacy paper from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities urges the federal government to bring together all orders of government to discuss and develop a Municipal Growth Framework: a new, more equitable way to fund local governments. Link to PDF document.
