City officials stress water conservation as feeder main repair timeline updated
New section of feeder main pipe has been lowered into place
The problem section of the water feeder main that ruptured in Calgary is being repaired, but that doesn't mean water supply worries are ending any time soon.
During a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, city officials continued to urge residents to limit their water use.
Francois Bouchart, the director of capital priorities and investment with the city's infrastructure services department, said that "the situation is still critical."
"Water usage is creeping up," Bouchart said during Wednesday's press conference.
Bouchart said he understands Calgarians may be experiencing warning fatigue, but nevertheless, conservation needs to be top of mind.
He said the feeder main that broke delivers 60 per cent of the water we use to the city, so such large repairs take time.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek spoke Wednesday at the city's regular update on the water main break and said the city's water use Tuesday increased from the day before.
"Preliminary numbers show us that water use yesterday was 480 million litres, which is up slightly from the day before," said Gondek.
"But it's at the threshold that we want to try to maintain. It's also down 100 million litres from our average at this time of year."
Gondek said the repair plan has three main stages:
- Install the new replacement pipe, which will take roughly two days.
- Flush the feeder main, removing any leftover water and sediment, which could take up to three days.
- Fill the pipe and ready the city's network for water to begin flowing again, which will take about two days.
Sue Henry, chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA), asked Calgarians to double down on their water conservation efforts.
"There is some good news for your gardens and your yards this coming weekend. Nature is stepping up to help us out. Rain and cooler weather are on the horizon," she said.
Repairs continue
Calgarians can expect water restrictions to continue into mid-next week.
Nancy Mackay, director of water services for the City of Calgary, said Wednesday that crews have now inspected 1.8 kilometres of the rest of the pipe.
The section of pipe being replaced is about seven metres long (23.5 feet).
On Wednesday, Mackay said the pipe was completely disinfected before it was lowered into place.
While a boil water advisory for Bowness was lifted on Monday, some residents in the community were left without water again on Tuesday, because of a separate water main break at 85th Street and 46th Avenue northwest.
Phil Rogers' home was one of the 28 impacted by the break.
"First we can drink our water and now we can't because it's not on anymore, again.
"It's frustrating for sure, it is, but you just do what you can do and what you have to do under the circumstances."
Surrounding towns asked to conserve Calgary water
Calgarians aren't the only ones being asked to limit their use.
The City of Airdrie is one of the municipalities — like Strathmore and Chestermere — that uses Calgary's water supply.
Since the water main break, Airdrie's top 100 water users have been contacted and asked to reduce usage, according to Mayor Peter Brown.
"Everybody's been great so far," Brown said in an interview on the Calgary Eyeopener on Wednesday.
Brown said his community is under Level 4 water restrictions, so outdoor watering is restricted and residents are being asked to be mindful of their indoor water usage. Calgary is under similar restrictions.
He said Airdrie is almost halfway through a 20-year agreement on water sharing with the City of Calgary.
"This isn't over yet," he said. "You've got some awesome people that are working diligently to get this fixed."
In Calgary, Stage 4 water restrictions and a citywide fire ban remain in place.
The Calgary Fire Department is permitting certain "lower-risk hot works activities" for roofing, following consultation with the construction industry, reads a news release from the City of Calgary sent Wednesday.
However, restrictions still apply, and any work using open flames remains prohibited.
Henry said that, to date, bylaw officers have logged 4,101 calls to 311 specific to the water main break event, 137 of which are related to the fire ban.
"Our bylaw officers remain out today in full force to help continue to do the education approach. There have been 306 written warnings, 368 verbal warnings and one summons has been issued," said Henry.
Cause of break still unknown, officials say
What remains unanswered still is the cause of the water main's rupture.
"There was no indication that the section of pipe was being stressed," said Bouchart, noting the pipe is approximately 49 years into its 100-year lifespan.
"The feeder main operated well within its pressure limits."
He also said the city installed acoustic monitoring equipment in early 2024, and that technology provided no indication the water main was experiencing any issues.
Bouchart said it appears metal wires within the pipe suddenly "snapped," affecting its structural integrity, and resulting in water gushing out "as one big event."
Gondek said the city is still searching for the answers to why and what happened.
"What we can tell you is that there's regular modelling, as we have heard, and there was no indication that this was going to happen," she said.
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With files from Scott Dippel and Colleen Underwood