Calgary community rink flooding put on hold amid water main break

Weather conditions for outdoor skating may be ideal; however, skaters will have to watch their step amid flooding restrictions.

The City of Calgary’s Stage 4 water restrictions remain in place following the major water main break near Sarcee Trail and the 16 Avenue Northwest/Trans-Canada Highway interchange.

According to the city, around 3,000 homes have been impacted, resulting in boil water notices for the surrounding areas and community rules to help conserve water. This includes using an outdoor hose for your garden, or the local community outdoor rink.

However, Evergreen Outdoor Rink volunteer Kevin Jamieson is doing what he can to keep local skaters on the ice.

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“We were very fortunate; Adopt-A-Rink does help us with the funds to bring in water trucks, but they’ve been cancelled,” Jamieson says. “We’ve just managed to get a fourth truck in on Tuesday, I think, so that just got the rink perfect to the point where it has a good base.”

With a shovel, a bucket from home and a ladle usually used for his pasta, Jamieson has continued his work at his local rink. Children, teenagers and adults alike wait patiently as holes in the ice are compacted by snow and a little bit of water from home.

Without continued maintenance, concerns are now growing that the use of outdoor rinks could be over this season already. Chinooks distort the condition of outdoor rinks, along with the regular wear and tear of skates and toe picks.

A City of Calgary briefing shows demand for water remains high in the aftermath of the main break. Those in the city and surrounding areas are urged to conserve water by limiting showers to three minutes, flushing the toilet when necessary and only running full laundry loads or dishwashers.

The function of outdoor rinks now relies solely on the maintenance of volunteers, but with limited resources, Jamieson says it’s unknown how long the season will last.

“We’ll try to keep it going. It’s just a case of the melting and freezing and if that can take out all the skate marks, with us repairing any holes, then it could last a long time. But if it melts and it’s gone, it’s finished basically.”