Major Water Main Break in Bowness Area

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

This is in the same sphere as the power grid warnings last year. Residents can all do their part, but in reality it's the businesses and and large centre's around the city that ultimately need to move the needle.

Joe blow cutting off his 5 minute shower or not running the dishwasher is like adding a tear drop to a swimming pool. Even if an entire community did so you're likely not even make a tangible difference when you're talking about tens of thousands (if not hundreds) of gallons of water be used by large consumers today.

So you got me curious on water usage.





https://www.calgary.ca/content/dam/w...iency-plan.pdf


ICI is industrial, commercial and institutional. Without knowing how bad this is, I think it does make sense to request residential consumption reductions, and see what happens. It then allows business to continue operation, which I think we can agree is a priority over showers and lawns. If they then see the reduction is not enough, they can go to ICI customers. I think this tells us we are in a tough spot, but not one they see as unmanageable, and it's actually nice to see them not go full panic. Unless they are wrong.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

This is in the same sphere as the power grid warnings last year. Residents can all do their part, but in reality it's the businesses and and large centre's around the city that ultimately need to move the needle.

Joe blow cutting off his 5 minute shower or not running the dishwasher is like adding a tear drop to a swimming pool. Even if an entire community did so you're likely not even make a tangible difference when you're talking about tens of thousands (if not hundreds) of gallons of water be used by large consumers today.

Except there are like 1.6M Joes and Janes, which is plenty of tear drops.

It's not an either/or situation. it's a both situation. Not every business will reduce as much as they could/should, neither will every Jane/Joe. But if enough of us do it will actually make a difference.

[PepsiFree]

If every person in Calgary had a shower or a bath in a given day, that’d be anywhere from 150,000,000 to 300,000,000 litres of water, or 25-50% of our total average daily water usage.

Showers, baths, handwashing dishes, laundry, all things that use in excess of 100 litres. So, yeah, what we do really, really matters.

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by timun

If my alarm didn't wake me up at 6:30 the emergency alert at 6:37 sure as hell would have. Sheesh.


Pretty sure the south side of the city, fed from the Glenmore Reservoir, would be entirely unaffected by this break, but anyway...

You gonna flash your stamp around like a dummy again? Lol. I wonder if APEGA ever got a hold of you .

Don’t listen to numb nuts here everyone, follow the city’s guidelines.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

These arguments are always such cop outs - you see them everywhere. My individual contribution is nothing; this is someone else's problem (especially prevalent for environmental things).

Most systems are designed to run at near capacity, like the electrical grid or the cities supply of water. They are running close to 100% all the time - so when something like this happens we don't need to stop all water usage, but everyone saving 50-100 L of water this morning by not showering and avoiding dishwashers / washing machines x 100,000 households is actual a pretty significant number and enough to bring the demand down below 100% again, even with reduced supply.

It’s the laziest form of thinking. I can’t stand it.

[SeeGeeWhy]

Originally Posted by fotze2

Man, if one of my lines failed and impacted this many people I’d go to jail. Why the hell do we allow this. This line would score pretty damn high on the old risk matrix on the consequence side. Imagine if this was a gas line? CEO would be lynched. But it’s water so whatevs.

That still may end up happening, I haven't heard anything about a cause.

I've built commercial in that area and have to say that the pressure coming in on the mains was extremely erratic with higher than usual spiking. We needed to put pressure protection in on the mains to prevent damage to lines, boilers, etc.

I seem to recall HP gas availability being a problem down there as well - as in, it was hard to get ATCO to provide high pressure service for whatever reason.

Was too many years, bong rips and PTSD episodes ago to recall precisely.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Airdrie has also issued a full fire ban to prevent the potential to need water to fight fire.

Big Fire is in on the conspiracy too???

[Locke]

I've never heard of this "Major Water Main Break."

What branch of the Armed Forces does he represent?

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by GGG

This pipeline isn’t governed by the AER so the regulatory risk is low.

I’m half joking but water lines just don’t carry the same risk that a gas line does. The fact you have ESDs on the gas line really shows the difference.

It shouldn’t though. No spilly crap on a gas line. It gone.

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Cappy

No you wouldn't. Remember Lac Megantic?

Not regulated like pipelines are. Oil by rail is better for the environment though so you lose on that argument.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Airdrie has also issued a full fire ban to prevent the potential to need water to fight fire.

They should just close Airdrie. Just...no more. Pave it over and forget it ever existed.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Locke

They should just close Airdrie. Just...no more. Pave it over and forget it ever existed.

Disagree. We need to start treating Airdrie like Australia. Ship all of the undesirables out to Airdrie and then turn off the taps.

Could even solve our housing crisis in the process.

[Manhattanboy]

Do car wash businesses have to shut down?

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Disagree. We need to start treating Airdrie like Australia. Ship all of the undesirables out to Airdrie and then turn off the taps.

Could even solve our housing crisis in the process.

But then we’d have to send all of northern Calgary there

[fotze2]

The power grid is bizarre right now. We get notices to curtail usage twice a day but he price is as low as it’s ever been. Power bills should be negligible. I’ve pulled our sites out of the market. It’s really weird right now.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by fotze2

Not regulated like pipelines are. Oil by rail is better for the environment though so you lose on that argument.

OK I'm curious, and this thread is already watered down (hey-oh!) so ya, based on what metric? I'd always assumed pipeline capacity vastly offset any spill benefit, and trains burn lots of diesel and using rail offsets track capacity, pushing more goods onto roads, so...ya. I'm pro-pipeline for oil.

[Knut]

City run Arenas, leisure centres, gyms and pools closed.

[activeStick]

Yeah, I just read that Calgary citizens are being asked to not shower or bathe?! This would've been so perfect if it happened in Edmonton lol!

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

OK I'm curious, and this thread is already watered down (hey-oh!) so ya, based on what metric? I'd always assumed pipeline capacity vastly offset any spill benefit, and trains burn lots of diesel and using rail offsets track capacity, pushing more goods onto roads, so...ya. I'm pro-pipeline for oil.

It’s what we do buds.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by activeStick

Yeah, I just read that Calgary citizens are being asked to not shower or bathe?! This would've been so perfect if it happened in Edmonton lol!

That wouldn't save any water in Edmonton.