City of Calgary - Water Efficiency
Calgary is big city on two small rivers, the Bow and the Elbow. We depend on our rivers to provide a stable supply of water for more than 1.25 million people living in the region and the businesses that work here – numbers that continue to climb.
Calgary's 30-in-30 Water Efficiency Plan developed in 2005 and updated in 2016, has been a major success and demonstrated our commitment to sustainable water management.
Our goal was to hold the amount of water we take from our rivers steady at the amount we were using in 2003 – 212.5 billion litres - despite our growing population. We committed to reducing our water consumption by 30% over 30 years.
We reached this goal 10 years ahead of schedule thanks to Calgarians’ commitment to using less water.
Calgary needs to continue to invest in water efficiency to ensure that the water needs and water security of our expected population of 2 million is met. This is something that all Calgarians have a stake in.
We can can be a leader when it comes to water efficiency and water security today and into the future. Together we can make every drop count.
Our rivers are under increasing pressure from a growing population, development and extreme weather ranging from intense rainfall to hotter, drier summers and, shorter, more extreme winters.
Calgary's water use
Calgarians have been working hard to protect our rivers by using and wasting less water and we’ve made great progress.
In 2023, Calgary’s average water demand was roughly 350 litres per person per day. This is in line with the 10 year goal in our Water Efficiency Plan.
This number includes industrial, commercial, and institutional customers like hospitals, food processors, universities, and other water use including flushing of pipes to maintain water quality after repairs, firefighting, and other water losses.
Calgarians use roughly 170 litres per person per day in their homes, below the Canadian average of around 220 litres per person per day.
This figure shows water used by residents, businesses and institutions as well as water lost through leaks, unaccounted for or not billed. This total is then divided by the number of people living in Calgary.
Updating our Water Efficiency Plan
We’ve made great progress over the past twenty years, but there’s still more to do. Using water more efficiently is essential to a reliable water supply for future generations, as we face a changing climate, long-term drought conditions and a growing population.
We are working on updating our Water Efficiency Plan in 2024. This is in step with the goals of Calgary’s Drought Resilience Plan.
The new Water Efficiency Plan will:
- Include new water efficiency targets in line with our growth, availability of water and changing climate
- Plans and tools for The City and Calgarians to reduce our residential and non-residential water use
Calgarians and our regional partners will have the opportunity to provide feedback on our updated Water Efficiency Plan later this summer and fall.
Benefits of water efficiency
Being water efficient today helps us ensure future generations have the water they need. There are also many benefits water efficiency brings to Calgarians today.
- Keeps our rivers healthy
- Save money on treating and delivering water
- Builds a culture of sustainability and strong communities
- Reduces pressure on our water treatment infrastructure
- Saves energy
- Increases our resiliency to climate change
- Ensures our downstream neighbours have enough
This image shows the benefits of water efficiency including impacts to society, the environment and the economy.
How can Calgarian’s be more water efficient?
In your yard
Prepare your yard for dry conditions and make it as water efficient as possible.
Around the house
Every time you use water inside the home there’s an opportunity to conserve water.
More information
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Get resources to help your business become more water efficient.
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Understand how and when you can use water outdoors if restrictions are declared.
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Learn how we’re preparing and responding to this year’s drought.
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Find out what steps we’re taking across our City operations to make every drop count.
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Learn about this City-certified program for highly water efficient irrigation systems.
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How we’re building a city that can better withstand and recovers from long periods of dry weather.
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Information about drought, conditions across the province and actions undertaken by Alberta's government.