Drinking water and water treatment

Calgary has two water treatment plants that take water from the Bow and Elbow rivers. See where our water comes from on Calgary's Water Supply.

Water that has not yet been treated is called raw water. Treating raw water makes it safe for us to drink.

Our water treatment plants make sure Calgary produces safe, high quality drinking water 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

We use control systems to monitor and optimize flows and various processes to make sure underground reservoirs store enough drinking water to meet our city’s demand.

Water quality

Water Treatment Homeowner Guide

See our Homeowner Water Guide for Calgary's water treatment system.

Translations

Our water treatment system

The City works to ensure all Calgarians have a safe and reliable supply of drinking water. Calgary's water treatment plants operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Operators, electricians, maintenance, the laboratories and administrative employees all work together to ensure the integrity of our drinking water.

The Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant draws water from the Bearspaw Reservoir on the Bow River. The Glenmore Water Treatment Plant draws water from the Glenmore Reservoir, which is fed by the Elbow River.

To learn more, visit our Online Water Treatment Tour. 

Are you a student? Find more water facts and information about Calgary's water systems at Water Education Resources.

Click image for a full-size version

Water Treatment Process
​​​​​​​​​
undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null