Calgary drinking water path

• Source & supply

  Bow River

  Elbow River

  High-lift pumps send treated water into transmission mains that feed storage reservoirs and pump stations across the city. Bearspaw and Glenmore systems are cross-connected so either plant can support demand citywide. Calgary also sells bulk treated water to regional customers including Airdrie.

  Almost all water withdrawn from the Bow and Elbow for Calgary use is returned to the Bow River system after wastewater treatment. Bearspaw Reservoir doubles as hydroelectric infrastructure operated with TransAlta.

• Treatment

  Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant

  Draws from Bearspaw Reservoir on the Bow River; supplies roughly 60% of Calgary’s treated water, primarily serving the north via an interconnected grid.

  Glenmore Water Treatment Plant

  Draws from Glenmore Reservoir fed by the Elbow River; supplies roughly 40% of the city’s water, primarily serving the south.

  Treatment on record: +1 more plant

• At the tap

  Hardness 279 mg/L (Very hard)

  Grade C (Fair)

  pH 7.2 · lead 0.7 μg/L

  ECCC / municipal open data (seed)