If you read the news or live in Calgary, than you are probably already aware of the water main break that happened on June 5th, 2024.
If not, here is a quick recap of what has happened.
A major water main in Calgary that provides 60% of the cities drinking water1 had a catastrophic failure on June 5, 2024. Water restrictions were put into place where households were asked to reduce their indoor consumption, and banned all outdoor watering. As of June 17, 2024, city officials have shared that the restrictions are expected to last until July2.
Based on information provided from the Calgary Herald, the watermain was halfway through its 100 year lifespan and was inspected recently. Non-urgent repairs were noted and expected to be dealt with in the fall when water demand decreased2.
An interesting opinion..
I was raised in a family that was heavily involved in municipal and provincial planning so I have spent many years of my life listening to the most riveting conversations about the planning acts and infrastructure (this is sarcasm, what 14 year old wants to hear this).
But what I’ve gathered over the years of stories, learning from businesses trying to work with cities, and being on municipal boards myself, is that cities and most governments operate on a reactive basis, rather than a proactive one.
To be clear, I don’t live in Calgary, and am watching this from a distance. I never want to be insensitive to this situation and the local state of emergency, but being critical of government is important in order to push for change.
When I first heard about the water main break I assumed that it was infrastructure that was past its due date causing the issue, as this is often the case. At the time of this writing, based on the current information that has been made available, the pipe is only half way through its lifespan.
However, there is a possibility of another story. According to James Buker, who worked as an engineer for Calgary’s water infrastructure, this feeder main was built the same way as all feeder lines of this size are4. What this article suggests however, is that these pipes have a lifespan of 50 years4, rather than the 100 years mentioned from another article, which is the age of this main at the time of it breaking.
What I am trying to suggest is.. as much as we need the government to provide necessary infrastructure to keep our cities running, there are many issues with the current structure of planning. There is a lack of interest in updating infrastructure because it is expensive and not “sexy” in a system where officials are put into office based on a popularity contest, aka an election.
So what does this have to do with gardening?
One of the main restrictions that has come with the water main break is not being allowed to use water outdoors. Calgary has had a cool, wet spring so far this year, but has historically been experiencing droughts, being driven by climate change.
And Calgary isn’t the only city facing unpredictable weather. At the time of writing this article, Ottawa is currently experiencing a week long heat dome with temperatures reaching 35-40°C.
What we can gather from this situation in Calgary includes:
- You can’t rely on the city to not make mistakes when it comes to infrastructure, especially around water (since this directly relates to your garden)
- Your garden is a low priority when it comes to government, as drinking water and farmers provide greater benefits to society vs your small backyard hobby garden
- Climate change is intensifying and creating weather patterns that are harder to predict and more difficult for all living beings to manage
For cities that have been experiencing droughts year after year, water restrictions have either already become permanent, or are the inevitable next step as the municipalities look to preserve safe drinking water for their residents. And the truth is, our gardens don’t need treated water that we need for drinking.
So what can all Canadian gardeners learn from this water main break in Calgary?
The first thing is the importance of rain barrels! I have said it time and time again, GET A RAIN BARREL. Sorry to yell, but it’s really important! Rain barrels capture the rain and allow us to store the water for a later date. By taking advantage of spring showers, or winter melt off, you can water your garden guilt-free during a drought or a water emergency.
The second thing is we need to reframe our minds. Fresh water is no longer abundant and needs to start being seen as a scarce resource. Are there other ways you can save your water? Maybe you capture the water when washing your vegetables and reuse that in the garden.
The final thing is looking for ways to reduce our water consumption in the garden. There are many ways to do this including; planting native perennials, having perennial food gardens, planting foods that are less thirsty and properly utilizing mulch.
If you’ve taken the above steps and want to continue making your garden more resilient, you can check out this article here that provides more in depth suggestions to have a more climate friendly garden.
One last note: I want to be clear – I am a big advocate for reducing my footprint at home, but I am also critical of the industrial world. Being aware of industries that use vast amounts of water to produce things (for example beef or almonds) is important to make informed decisions.
If you think you can’t do it, here’s a Calgarian who is!
If you live in a Canadian city like Calgary that experiences cold winters, cool springs and often drought like conditions – check out this article from the Calgary Herald where they interview a gardener who has switched over his lawn, has planted drought-tolerant flowers, and is even collecting snow to become rainwater.
References
1. CBC News. (2024, June 17). Calgary water consumption hits all-time low. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-water-consumption-all-time-low-1.7236718
2. Calgary Herald. (2024, June 17). Questions remain after Calgary water main break emergency: Answers. https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/questions-calgary-water-main-break-emergency-answers
3. Calgary Herald. (2024, June 17). Calgary gardeners, residents concerned about future water crises. https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/calgary-gardeners-residents-concerned-future-water-crises
4. Calgary Herald. (2024, June 17). How long will it take to fix Calgary’s huge water main break? At least a week, former city engineer says. https://calgaryherald.com/news/calgary-water-main-break-one-week-repair
