Calgary Heatwave Leads to Reopening of All Outdoor Pools

CALGARY—Calgarians can now fill up their outdoor pools, including private backyard pools and kiddie pools, as the City of Calgary announced measures to help residents keep cool during the extreme heat.

The announcement comes after Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek reopened public outdoor pools, spray parks, and wading pools last Saturday as she announced the move from Phase 4 to Phase 3 outdoor water restrictions.

Environment Canada issued a heat warning for some of Alberta’s hottest spots, which peaked at 37 C on Wednesday and are expected to begin easing on Thursday.

“We hope this move creates more opportunities for people to stay cool over the coming weeks,” said Francois Bouchart, the city’s capital properties and investment director, during a live public update.

Although the current Stage 3 restrictions typically don’t allow filling of outdoor pools or use of spray parks, they were exempted with public health safety in mind, to “provide a way for Calgarians to escape from the heat,” said Mr. Bouchart.

Using sprinklers or hoses is still not allowed, and the city is asking residents to water their plants with hand-held containers—ideally using captured rainwater or greywater. Contractors can use water for construction purposes such as concrete mixing and dust suppression.

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Water use is expected to increase with the temperatures, said Mr. Bouchart, adding that daily consumption has risen from 507 million litres on Sunday to 555 million litres on Tuesday.

“Our distribution system is stable, and we remain able to meet water demand with Stage 3 outdoor water restrictions in place,” he said, adding that to move to Phase 2, the city needs to ensure it can supply enough water to meet anticipated demand.

“I’d like to ask for your continued support. Fill your outdoor pools, hand-water your gardens, but please refrain from running your sprinklers and hoses at this time.”