Calgary is officially returning to normal water consumption. The city announced the lifting of all water restrictions after completing a key phase of repairs to the Bearspaw South feeder main, a water pipeline that supplies a significant portion of the city's water supply. On Friday morning, the third (final) pump at the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant was activated, increasing the flow of water through the repaired section. According to the city, the system remains stable based on current monitoring results.
Water is safe to consume
Separately, city officials emphasized that Calgary's drinking water is safe and its quality meets or exceeds all regulatory requirements. This means that residents can use water as usual, including cooking and drinking from the tap.
What has changed for residents
The lifting of restrictions means a return to normal water use (in particular, without previous limits/calls for maximum reduction in consumption). In previous days, the city asked residents to continue to conserve water while the system underwent a phased recovery and stabilization after the pumps were started.
Emergency services are “winding down” — but monitoring continues
After the system stabilized, the city announced that emergency measures and coordination were gradually being scaled back as the acute phase of the incident was over. At the same time, the city's official pages emphasize that monitoring of the site and assessment of necessary measures to protect the community are continuing.
Background: what happened to the Bearspaw feeder main
The Bearspaw South feeder main is one of the critical elements of Calgary's water infrastructure. During repairs and testing, the city switched to restriction modes to maintain the stability of the water supply system. Public daily updates (Jan 13–16) described the gradual return of the water pipeline to operation: from confirming the safety of the water and gradually opening the valves to the full introduction of capacity after the final pump was started.