No new wire snaps on Bearspaw feeder main, easing of water restrictions expected Thursday

No new wire snaps were detected along the Bearspaw feeder main and a decision as to whether outdoor water use restrictions will move to Stage 2 will be made Thursday, city officials say.

The news came hours after Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek confirmed the city is still on track to ease outdoor water restrictions by Thursday.

The city is monitoring the wire coils that wrap the pipe, which help strengthen it, for indications of snapping. Though not an indication of an imminent break, it's a way of checking for stress on the pipe. 

Gondek said she will give another update on Thursday at 9 a.m. as to whether or not the city can move to Stage 2.

Francois Bouchart, the City of Calgary's director of capital priorities and investment, said in a Wednesday afternoon update that the city will continue to proceed cautiously with increasing water pressure in the key feeder main.

"If we detect significant new snaps or encounter other unforeseen issues, this could still delay our progress," he said. "We are monitoring around the clock and crews and equipment are on standby to quickly respond if issues arise."

The city used about 557 million litres of water on Tuesday. Officials anticipate water use will increase once restrictions are eased.

Earlier this week, the city said Calgary was bringing online another pump at the Bearspaw feeder main to increase water flow.

A catastrophic break of the key feeder main in the city's northwest plunged the city into an unprecedented water supply crisis nearly six weeks ago. 

"We are continuing to use acoustic and pressure monitors to see how the pipe is responding to increased water flow, which has gone from 55 per cent to … 70 per cent of its standard speed," Gondek said Wednesday morning.

"It looks like the pipe has been able to manage the increased speed of flow and the work the water team did in preparation for turning on an additional pump has paid off as they were able to successfully minimize any pressure spikes."

For the time being, the city remains under Stage 3 outdoor water use restrictions, meaning Calgarians can water their gardens and outdoor plants, but only using handheld containers or buckets.

People are not permitted to fill fountains or wash outdoor surfaces like driveways, windows or vehicles under Stage 3 rules. 

Restrictions on indoor water use were lifted weeks ago.

Once the city reaches Stage 2, people will be able to use garden sprinklers for an hour a week, with certain conditions. Watering with a hose with a spray nozzle would also be allowed.

On Tuesday, the city announced that it had expanded the scope of what is allowed under Stage 3 outdoor water restrictions to include the maintenance of irrigation systems, meaning that irrigation companies can now run water through the pipes of in-ground sprinkler systems as they work on fixing irrigation systems.

Meanwhile, city officials revealed some details of the costs associated with repairing the feeder main.

The general manager of infrastructure services, Michael Thompson, said the cost would be in the tens of millions of dollars and "not larger" than that.

Thompson said the costs will be covered from a reserve fund within the water utility and it will not have any impact on property tax rates.

Bearspaw feeder main integrity

Four wire snaps in total have been confirmed along the Bearspaw feeder main as of Wednesday. The fourth wire snap was detected Monday, before the additional pump was turned on at Bearspaw.

The city reiterated Wednesday if new damage or additional signs of stress are noticed, it will halt progress in lifting restrictions.

With everything going as planned, Stage 1 outdoor water restrictions could go into effect on July 22.