Calgary could face a water shortage in 10 to 15 years, says a new report by the Geological Survey of Canada.

The report, prepared by the federal government's geo-science research agency, says a warmer climate and a booming population mean Calgary could be headed for a water crisis.

Calgary uses the same amount of water today that it did in 1980, even though the population has increased by 400,000 people.
(CBC News)

"With every person that moves to the city, that's another 350 litres of water a day the city has to provide," said Steve Grasby, a researcher on the study.

Grasby says Calgarians have to cut back on their water consumption.

"If really we did nothing, within 10 to 15 years the demand of Calgarians, even on an average day, might exceed what the city could supply," he said.

Paul Fesko, a spokesman with the City of Calgary's water department, says the city made water conservation a priority decades ago.
 
"This water is all we have and this river wasn't going to be getting any bigger for our needs, so we started ourselves on a path of water conservation."

Fesko says Calgary uses the same amount of water today that it did in 1980, even though the population has increased by 400,000 people.

A crisis is avoidable because there is still room for reductions in water use, he said.

Mark Bennett, a spokesman for an organization called the Bow River Basin Council, agreed that Calgarians need to use less water.

"If demand increases and supply decreases, eventually they meet at a point, and when they meet at that point things start not to work," he said.