Calgary asks car washes to close due to water crisis
The Canadian city of Calgary has requested businesses to limit their water intake for the coming weeks. Car washes are the only group that was asked to cease operations altogether, Calgary Herald reports.
The request hasn’t got anything to do with a drought. It’s due to the fact the main pipeline broke recently. Chris Friesen, owner of Mint Smartwash, wasn’t particularly interested in shutting down his business for three or more weeks. Instead, he made a few calls.
By Thursday, a truck full of water rolled into the car wash in southeast Calgary to supply it with potable water so Friesen wouldn’t run afoul of the city’s restrictions.
‘Stop using water’
According to the Calgary Herald, the car wash may be one of a select few in town still operating after Nancy Mackay, Calgary’s director of water services, sent a letter to all car wash owners requesting they stop providing their services until Calgary’s broken water main returns to service.
It’s arguably one of the most heavy-handed approaches the city has taken to businesses as it attempts to keep demand below supply.
Mackay wrote the city has the ability to cut off access to water service to customers in order to “mitigate impairment of the water system. As we anticipate your cooperation with the above request, we are hopeful that we will not need to discontinue water service to you but given the urgency of the situation we are prepared to do so as necessary.”
Main supply
It will take some time before the repairs on the water main are completed. It supplies about 60% of the needed amount of water in the city. According to the newspaper, businesses consume about 35% of the total water used in Calgary; the remaining 65% comes from residential use.
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