Calgarians will once again be asked to conserve water in a matter of weeks as city crews prepare for repair work to help stabilize the Bearspaw South Feeder Main.
According to city officials, the work will focus on nine segments of the existing pipe along 16 Avenue N.W., near Sarcee Trail, including three sections still being explored at Point McKay Park.
Both construction and the water restrictions are scheduled to begin on March 9 and expected to last approximately four weeks.
“Now is the moment for all of us to prepare and to participate across the entire region,” Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said.
On Feb. 13, the city revealed that new “wire snaps” had been detected along the feeder main, forcing it to shut down the exit ramp from westbound 16 Avenue N.W. to Sarcee Trail, as a precaution.
A total of four wire snaps have been detected in that area, according to Michael Thompson, the city’s Infrastructure Services general manager.
“That’s one of the most vulnerable sections of pipe that we have right now,” he told reporters. “Should that pipe break, it’s very close to the surface of the road. We would hate to have someone driving over it and it breaks again.”
In an announcement Friday morning, the city said, due to the critical condition of the feeder main and its importance to Calgary’s drinking water system, it needs to reinforce sections of pipe that are experiencing “enhanced levels of deterioration” and the reinforcements are needed so the feeder main can continue to be used until a new steel pipe is installed to take over from the current line.
The work to be done will involve excavating the existing pipe, constructing an exterior reinforcing steel cage, pouring concrete around the existing pipe to reinforce it and then backfilling the excavation.
According to city officials, the reinforcement work is similar to the repairs completed along the line between August and September 2024, when crews reinforced 21 segments along 16 Avenue and in Bowness.
However, in a report made public last month, an independent panel tasked with reviewing the feeder main’s original break in June 2024 found that method may not help prevent the line from failing.
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“The City’s strategy of external reinforcement to sections of BPSFM with increased frequency of wire breaks may not prevent rupture given the variability of pipe stress along the line and potential for rapid wire breaks,” the report read.
It’s a point reiterated by city officials Friday morning.
“There is no guarantee the work we do will prevent the pipe from breaking somewhere else,” Thompson said.
The city says, during the work, the feeder main will need to be taken out of service. Among the restrictions, “no outdoor water use will be permitted during this time.”
Echoing previous water conservation pleas, the city is also asking all Calgarians to save 25-30 litres of water per day indoors, by taking such steps as:
- keeping showers short, three minutes or less
- flushing toilets only when necessary
- running dishwashers and washing machines when there is a full load.
“As mayor, I’m asking every single Calgarian to talk with your family, to your neighbours, to your coworkers,” Farkas said. “Build the habits now so when restrictions begin, we are already aligned community to community.”
According to city officials, Calgary remains “at risk” for another rupture of the feeder main until the fast-tracked replacement pipe is complete.
Thompson confirmed that the project is scheduled to be complete by December.
Construction work is already underway at three locations, with crews set to use micro tunnelling to install the new pipe between the Shaganappi Pump Station and 73 Street N.W. An open-cut method will be used for the rest of the line, set to begin in May, which includes excavating a trench along 34 Avenue N.W.
“This is southern Alberta’s moonshot,” Farkas said. “We are in a race against time to build a stronger, more resilient water system.”
Other work to be done during the shutdown, includes:
• Replacement of existing valves on the feeder main near the Shaganappi Pump Station
• Inspection of the steel pipe connection to the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant.
• Replacement of valves at 33rd Avenue and 89 Street, which help control how water moves between the feeder main and the rest of the distribution system.
“This will be big, this will be disruptive, it will be frustrating, and it’s also urgently needed,” said Matti Siemiatycki, director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto. “I think we’re all seeing, based on the Calgary experience, what happens when infrastructure fails.”
The city said it will be working with the communities that will be directly affected by the work to keep them informed, and promises more information will be shared as needed.
According to city officials, another shutdown of the pipe, and water restrictions, will be required in the fall as crews are scheduled to connect the new feeder main to the existing line to the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant.
Regular updates will also be available on the city’s website at calgary.ca/bsfmreinforcements.
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