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Overcast weather cast a gloomy shadow over Calgary on Father's Day, and garden centres remained quiet and cold as the city's residents began adjusting to water use restrictions expected to last for weeks.
As the crisis enters its second week, some Calgarians are growing increasingly worried about the stability of the city's water supply. The city's water system, often an afterthought for most residents, has also come under intense scrutiny from the public, raising concerns about the city's water infrastructure.
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Ron Leach reaches for the clover he grows as a replacement for grass behind his Calgary home on Sunday, June 16, 2024. Brent Culver/Postmedia
Water usage returned to sustainable levels in the first few days after a new timeline was announced for repairing damaged mains water mains, but it remains to be seen whether consumption will increase over the next week, as it did during the first week of restrictions.
Calgary Emergency Management Director Sue Henry said Calgary's water usage on Saturday was the lowest on record, but a modest increase in consumption over the last week is “concerning,” Nicole Newton, the city's manager of natural environment and adaptation, noted Sunday afternoon.
The manager of a Calgary garden centre, speaking on condition of anonymity, said orders for rainwater tanks have skyrocketed in recent days. Several garden business owners and managers also declined interview requests Sunday. The water restrictions come on the heels of a tough spring for garden businesses, with persistent rain and unpredictable weather causing gardeners to tighten their purse strings and stay home, managers said. Sales at those stores have plummeted since the water main burst on 16th Avenue NW on June 5, the managers noted.
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Ron Leach sprays his garden with rainwater from an intricate water barrel he set up behind his home in Calgary on Sunday, June 16, 2024. Brent Culver/Postmedia
Drought conditions remain a concern
Several garden centres Postmedia visited on Sunday were deserted, with only a handful of customers walking the aisles. As she browsed the plants on display outside Garden Retreat in southeast Calgary, Marilyn Wood said she had just returned from a trip to Japan when the city announced the long-term restrictions.
Wood, who previously worked for the Calgary Horticultural Society, already has five and a half rainwater tanks, enough to keep his plants going during outdoor watering bans.
“I'm just watering a sad plant,” Wood said.
Wood has been monitoring drought conditions in Alberta for several years and has little doubt that rainwater tanks will be useful even after the water mains are repaired.
“The situation is not getting better. Hopefully it's a one-time occurrence of a burst pipe, but I think we'll have to manage our water every year,” she said.
Calgary resident Marilyn Wood, pictured here, shops for plants in southeast Calgary. She has more than five rainwater tanks that help her maintain her garden. Matt Scase/Postmedia
“It just shows how fragile things are.”
Standing on the sidelines of a Tails & Treasures dog event in the University of Calgary College District on Sunday, Murray, who declined to give his last name, said he feels the reality of the crisis isn't being communicated to people.
“I think there's some anxiety, but I don't think it really sinks in until something happens. The more I hear, the more I'll understand and maybe my perspective will change,” said the Calgary native.
“But it's scary. It shows how fragile things are.”
When asked if he was given special permission to use water on Father's Day, Murray said he was limiting his water consumption.
“I wish I'd asked for a longer shower… but I haven't changed that at all.”
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