Bearspaw South Feeder Main Improvements
Background
The Bearspaw South Feeder Main is the largest in Calgary’s network, and distributes a significant portion of the city’s treated water supply. The feeder main experienced a break on June 5, 2024.
Since then, 29 pipe segment repairs have taken place to support the stabilization of feeder main and the pipe has undergone an investigation to gain an understanding of the conditions that lead to the failure.
2024 repair
Short term repairs on the Bearspaw South Feeder Main were completed in 2024. The pipe has stabilized and is responding well to the 29 repairs.
| Repair | Need | Start date | Completion date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feeder Main Break | Original Feeder Main Break emergency response and repair. | June 5, 2024 | June 16, 2024 |
| 5 Emergency hot spots | Emergency hot spots identified with the original feeder main break requiring immediate repair. | June 14, 2024 | June 27, 2024 |
| 21 Planned urgent repairs | 21 segments identified needing urgent repair through further investigation. | August 26, 2024 | September 22, 2024 |
| 2 Planned urgent repairs | 2 segments identified needing urgent repair not located in an area requiring city-wide water restrictions. | October 16, 2024 | November 26, 2024 |
Next steps
Strengthening Calgary’s water system: Bearspaw South Feeder Main improvements project
The City is pleased to be moving forward with the Bearspaw South Feeder Main Improvements project. This is a critical step in making Calgary’s water system more reliable and resilient for the future.
Following the feeder main break in 2024, it became even clearer how important water system reliability is. This project focuses on improving that reliability to help reduce future service disruptions and support long-term water needs. A consultant has been chosen for the project through a competitive process that ran from mid-December to the end of February. In March 2025, a finalized scope of work and budget was established with the successful firm.
The project includes two stages:
- Stage A: From the Shaganappi Pump Station to Bowmont Crescent N.W. on the west side of the Bow River.
- Stage B: Continues from Bowmont Crescent N.W. to 48 Ave N.W./33 Ave N.W., with a potential extension to the Bearspaw Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Right now, our engineering team is focused on the preliminary design for Stage A, with the target for this to be complete by the end of Q2 2025. The team is also evaluating potential routes and alignments for Stage B. The project team is currently doing site investigations, meeting with key stakeholders and gathering data needed to inform the design.
Projects enhancing water system reliability
Active projects
Future projects
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South Calgary Water Servicing
This project is in early development and will provide the remaining system redundancy to the Bearspaw South feeder main and two other feeder mains.
This project is a new feeder main to move water to south Calgary from the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant (likely in an alignment along Stoney Trail terminating at Anderson Road and 14th St. that is planned to be complete by 2031.
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Crosstie Feeder Main
This project will improve the redundancy of the feeder main network in N.E. Calgary and improve system pressures in Saddle Ridge, Taradale, Martindale and Falconridge.
This feeder main extends along Country Hills Blvd from Coventry Hills Blvd to 60th St. N.E. and will be constructed by 2029.
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Glenmore Water Treatment Plant Expansion
This expansion includes a new treated water storage reservoir (called a “clearwell’), high lift pump station and electrical building. These projects will be complete by 2031.
Frequently asked questions
Will the Bearspaw South Feeder Main remain operational throughout the improvements?
Yes, it is expected that the feeder main will continue to remain in service, except for short durations when the new pipe needs to be tied into the existing feeder main.
Are there any plans for system wide redundancy, if so, what?
Feeder main projects will increase Calgary’s water capacity, to serve growth, provide redundancy and reduce reliance on existing feeder mains.
Two feeder main projects, North Calgary and South Calgary Water Servicing projects will reduce the reliance on the Bearspaw South Feeder Main to supply water during average day demand conditions, but the Bearspaw South Feeder Main will continue to be relied upon in the future to provide maximum daily demand. It is also a key piece of infrastructure that will enable the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant to be taken out of service for planned maintenance and upgrades.
Water treatment plant projects, will increase Calgary’s water treatment and raw water capacity, ensuring sufficient drinking water supply to serve growth. Additionally, the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant Expansion investment will eliminate single points of failure improving the reliability of the treatment plant.
- The Glenmore Water Treatment Plant Expansion includes a new treated water storage reservoir (called a “clearwell’), high lift pump station and electrical building. These projects will be complete by 2031.
- The Water Treatment Expansion program includes a new water treatment plant, and a new and/or upgraded raw water intake. The new infrastructure will be located along the Bow River and will be complete in 2035.
What happens if another major failure occurs before the new redundancy projects are completed?
While our third-party experts have told us that a failure of the feeder main is extremely unlikely, the City continues to monitor the Bearspaw South Feeder Main and has an emergency and spare parts plan in place to anticipate and proactively respond to a failure.
How long do you anticipate taking to develop and implement long term rehabilitation for the feeder main and when this will be shared?
The city will be returning to Council near the end of 2025 with additional details regarding the necessary work, including the project phasing, construction technique, alignment and cost estimate.
Why is only a portion of the Bearspaw Feeder Main currently being monitored? When will the remainder of this feeder main begin to be monitored? Is there no concern that other areas of this aging asset will break?
The City is using a combination of permanent and temporary monitoring along the length of the feeder main, with plans to replace the temporary locations with permanent monitoring equipment in Q2 2025. This monitoring, along with the completed repairs, third party experts’ statistical structural analysis and an emergency and spare parts plan is in place to manage the risk related to future breaks, and in fact allow us to proactively plan for a repair, if necessary.
How are you planning to improve the reliability of the Bearspaw South feeder main?
To improve the reliability of the Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe portion of the Bearspaw South Feeder Main, several rehabilitation and replacement options have been identified and are currently being explored. The options include open cut pipe replacement, external reinforcement, internal lining, and microtunnelling of a new line.
The microtunnelling option has been selected as the most promising option at this time, as the construction technique minimizes traffic impact and water service disruption to Calgarians as well as minimizing the impact to adjacent homeowners and businesses.
What is microtunnelling?
A tunnel construction technique used to construct pipe underground. It includes a micro tunnel boring machine that creates the tunnel and then pipes are inserted behind the machine. This construction technique has been used by the water utility for other large diameter pipes, including the Inglewood Sanitary Trunk crossing of the Bow River and Nose Creek Sanitary trunk adjacent to Deerfoot Trail.
Can you provide details on the upcoming feeder main projects?
The North Calgary Water Servicing Project will provide partial system redundancy to the Bearspaw South feeder main. It will also provide redundancy to six other feeder mains. This project will be complete by 2028.
The South Calgary Water Servicing is in early development and will provide the remaining system redundancy to the Bearspaw South feeder main and two other feeder mains. This project is a new feeder main to move water to south Calgary from the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant that is planned to be complete by 2031.
Crosstie Feeder main. This project will improve the redundancy of the feeder main network in NE Calgary and improve system pressures in Saddle Ridge, Taradale, Martindale and Falconridge. This feeder main extends along Country Hills Blvd from Coventry Hills Blvd to 60th Street NE and will be constructed by 2029.
How will these projects be funded, and will there be any impact on water rates for Calgarians?
There are no operating or capital costs associated with the recommendation in report IP 2025-0150. Consistent with current processes within these lines of service, construction budget may be requested separately from when design budget is needed. As projects move through stages of development, and when better cost estimates are available, a budget request for construction may come forward, which will also highlight any impact on rates.