Calgary's water efficiency plan

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 be a leader when it comes to water efficiency and water security today and into the future. Together we can make every drop count.

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.