Leaky pipes meant that Calgary lost some 22% of its treated water in 2022, according to the Calgary region’s Building Industry and Land Development Association, better known as BILD Calgary.
The letter from BILD Calgary CEO, Brian Hahn, highlighted data already released by city officials, which shows that 88% of the 31.6 billion litres of water lost in 2022 was the result of leaks.
“Given that each resident uses 170 litres of water per day, the system water loss due to leaks is akin to having an extra person and a half living in your home using water,” Hahn wrote to regional planning officials in a May 9 letter.
“Until these system water leaks are repaired, substantial improvements in water consumption per person are limited to improvements in end-user consumption,” he added.
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Hahn’s letter noted that the City of Edmonton has system water losses of approximately 5%, with metered residential water consumption currently at 140 litres of water per day, based on EPCOR data.
Hahn also spoke to Calgary’s infrastructure and planning committee on June 12 and July 3 after municipal officials had reached out to find empirical evidence of water-saving measures being leveraged in new community development and home construction.
In part, Hahn highlighted that newer developments are installed with high-efficiency fixtures and appliances. Additionally, high-density single or multi-family developments with smaller lot sizes lead to reduced irrigation requirements, he stated.
Hahn also suggested that local officials create infrastructure design parameters that are “finely tuned for efficiency and effective deployment of precious capital, showcasing empirical evidence of water-saving measures” for new developments. “Such data would significantly contribute to our efforts in understanding and addressing maximum water demand design metrics,” wrote Hahn.
Calgary’s 30-in-30 Water Efficiency Plan, developed in 2005 and updated in 2016, is a commitment to reducing water consumption by 30% over 30 years. In 2023, the city’s average water demand was roughly 350 litres per person per day, in line with the plan’s 10-year efficiency goal.
