'The taps will run dry': Calgary mayor issues bleak warning as city reaches threshold

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the city is facing an "urgent crisis" as work continues to repair a water main break last week that triggered city-wide water restrictions.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the city is facing an "urgent crisis" as work continues to repair a water main break last week that triggered city-wide water restrictions.

"I'm standing here this morning with one message, and one message only: We must do better," Gondek said during a Friday morning update.

"Since last Saturday, our water usage has been trending upward. Two days ago, we surpassed the sustainable threshold and today we are at that threshold.

"Yesterday we used 480 million litres of water – that is the threshold. While we reduced our water use slightly from the day before, we simply have to do more.

"We do not have access to the majority of our water supply until this feeder main can be restored to its full function and I am worried about our city and our surrounding municipalities.

"If our water usage continues to trend up, and our water supply can't keep up, the taps will run dry at some point.

"For those who want a definitive timeline of when that could happen, the only answer is that the more water we use, the sooner those taps run dry."