We have successfully connected the Bearspaw South feeder main to the rest of our city’s water distribution system. The system has stabilized and our reservoirs have refilled. We are confident that we can meet normal water demand.
Calgary is now out of Stage 4 Water restrictions, effective immediately.
Calgarians are welcome to return to normal water use, both indoors and outdoors. Where possible, please ease into normal water use over the next few days to help even out any spikes in demand which will be easier on our system.
Some may also notice cloudy water or a chlorine smell in your water over the next few days. This is temporary and the water is safe to drink.
Pick-up locations for non-potable river water will close tonight at 7 p.m.
In the next few weeks, we have two smaller sections of pipe to repair in October and November along Memorial Drive in Parkdale. These repairs are much smaller in scope and won’t require city-wide water restrictions because we can isolate these sections while keeping the feeder main running. Please check Calgary.ca for the latest updates.
By the end of October, we anticipate receiving a detailed forensic report from our consultants that includes results from the PipeDiver, soil and structural analysis of the Feeder Main. We will share more details on the report’s findings when they are available.
The cost of June’s emergency repair, which included the five hot spots, has been estimated to be between $20 and $25 million. Initial estimates of the latest 21 repairs is somewhere between $15 and $20 million.
“I’d like to thank each and every person who worked on this critical maintenance project, and helped ensure the safety and security of our water system. A special thank you to everyone who understood the importance of saving water and helped reduce pressure on our water system. My thoughts have especially been with the residents and businesses of Bowness and Montgomery,” says Mayor Jyoti Gondek.
“My job as mayor doesn’t end with the return to service of the Bearspaw South Feeder Main. I look forward to receiving the reports from the internal review and the independent, third-party review, and sharing them with Calgarians and with other orders of government.”
Residents, businesses, and regional partners worked together to achieve incredible outcomes for our community. Construction crews and contractors safely worked 24/7 to complete these repairs as quickly as possible.
“We thank everyone who reduced their water use while our teams completed urgent repairs on the Bearspaw South Feeder Main. We witnessed Calgarians step up in so many incredible ways, and we saw just how powerful Calgary’s community spirit really is,” said Chief Administrative Officer David Duckworth. “We understand Calgarians place their trust in us to deliver quality services and we take that responsibility very seriously.”
For the latest updates, water saving tips and to sign up to receive email updates about construction, visit calgary.ca/savewater.
