Mayor Joyti Gondek said work to repair five hotspots in Calgary’s water feeder main is continuing on track to have water flowing as usual by July 5, but warned there could still be delays or unplanned setbacks.
In Thursday afternoon’s update on the two-week-old Calgary water crisis, Gondek said work to remove the sections of the pipe where the hotspots are located is about halfway done.
Infrastructure manager Michael Thompson explained one section of damaged pipe is connected to a cement block and crews discovered they couldn’t remove that section. Instead, they will reinforce that section of pipe, he said.
City officials had estimated the repairs will be completed in three to five weeks. On Wednesday they said the work expected to be finished on the earlier end of the timeline estimate.
In a video statement Thursday morning, Gondek said there is still a lot of work to be done before Calgarians can go back to normal water usage, and that the July 5 goal is a “best-case estimate at this point in time.”
“We have to be prepared that a potential site may require a bit more of a repair than we expected or that water testing is going to take a little bit more time,” she said.
“I want you all to be prepared for these changes to the schedule as we continue to learn more about the progress that we’re making.
“The timeline for completion will come into sharper and sharper focus as this repair work continues.”
With warm weather forecast for this weekend, officials are urging Calgarians to continue to save water.
“Make every drop count,” said Calgary Emergency Management Agency acting chief Coby Duerr. “We still need you to continue to conserve water as you have been.”
“It’s a good idea to think about all of those ways that we can save water for life-saving measures like firefighting,” added Gondek.
Officials also revealed that CEMA is tracking the costs to repair the water main break, which will be shared publicly.
“From the cost of the materials to the work hours to contractor supports and machinery, it is all being tracked,” said Duerr.
Gondek said this process will also help determine “if there are emergency funds that we can apply for, either through the provincial or federal government.”
City officials said all of the pipe pieces needed for the repairs are in the city. Gondek said three are ready to go and two are being sandblasted and coated with epoxy.
Once the pipe is repaired, crews will need to repave 16th Avenue Northwest. From there, the line will need to be flushed and the water will need to be tested to ensure it’s safe to drink.
“We rely on Alberta Health Services to give us the all-clear in that regard,” Gondek said.
She said 454 million litres of water was used on Wednesday, putting Calgarians on a five-day streak of staying well below the threshold set out by the city.
The next update on the water crisis will take place on Friday morning 8:30 a.m.