Calgary water crisis: Use outpaces cap on 1st full day of new restrictions

Calgary’s mayor is warning taps may run dry and firefighters may encounter empty hydrants if residents don’t shape up and abide by renewed water restrictions.

Calgarians sent 530 million litres down the drain on the first full day of the new round of rationing.

That’s well above the 450-million-litre cap the city needs to stay under while a troubled water main undergoes repairs.

That pipe burst in June, forcing the city to ban outdoor watering and ask residents to cut their use indoors by a quarter.

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Those measures had mostly eased when, earlier this month, Mayor Jyoti Gondek announced more weak spots had been found on the pipe and urgent repairs would be needed to avoid another catastrophic break.

Gondek says the city will be in “a lot of trouble” if residents don’t do more to cut their water use — stop using sprinklers and hoses, keep showers under three minutes, reduce toilet flushes and run dishwashers less often.

2:22 Calgary water emergency: City under Stage 4 water restrictions again

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