Ward 1 - Sonya Sharp

Bearspaw South Feeder Main critical break

Overview

 
  • Bearspaw South Feeder Main repair work complete
  • All outdoor water restrictions lilfted 
  • Construction in impacted areas to be complete by September 27, 2024
  • There are two smaller sections of pipe to repair in October and November along Memorial Drive in Parkdale. These repairs are much smaller in scope and won’t require city-wide water restrictions.

Timeline

Date Overview of progress
September 22, 2024 Bearspaw South Feeder Main repair complete and all water restrictions lifted
August 28, 2024 Main construction along 33rd Ave NW begins for repair work on Bearspaw South Feeder Main. 
August 26, 2024 Stage 4 Outdoor Water Restrictions reinstated.
August 7, 2024 City announces additional weaknesses found in the Bearspaw South Feeder Main that need urgent attention. Resulting in Calgary moving back to Stage 4 Outdoor Water Restrictions and indoor water conservations efforts by August 26, 2024. The repairs will be along 33rd Ave NW starting August 28, 2024, and are scheduled to be complete by the end of September. 
July 23, 2024  Stage 1 Outdoor Water Restrictions were placed. 
July 18, 2024  City officials have announced that we are moving from Stage 3 to Stage 2 Outdoor Water Restrictions. 
July 6, 2024 Water restrictions lowered from Stage 4 to Stage 3 Outdoor Water Restrictions and the Fire Ban was also removed.  
July 4, 2024 Calgary's state of local emergency expired while Stage 4 water restrictions are still in place. 
July 3, 2024 Residents eased back into regular indoor water use on the first day of the removal of indoor water conservation recommendations.
July 2, 2024 Indoor water use guidelines eased, while Stage 4 Outdoor Water Restrictions and Fire Ban remain in effect. 
July 1, 2024 Final stage entered of the fill, flush, test, and stabilize phase to restore the city's water supply.
June 30, 2024  Water testing and quality exceeds water quality standards.
June 29, 2024 Pipe successfully repressurized and flushed.
June 28, 2024 Pipe refilled and repressurized to test stability. 
June 27, 2024 16 Ave successfully re-paved and pipe slowly re-filled. 
June 26, 2024 Crews begin paving 16 Ave to re-fill feeder main. 
June 25, 2024 Final phase of repairing a feeder main break, crews prepare pipe to be refilled and 16 Ave re-paved. 
June 24, 2024 Work on the repair is progressing smoothly.
June 23, 2024 Non-potable river water available to all Calgarians. Repair on four of the five hotspots is continuing and progressing well
June 22, 2024 All damaged sections of pipe have been removed and taken off-site for further forensic investigation
June 21, 2024  The City of Calgary renewed its State of Local Emergency. 
June 20, 2024 City of Calgary has opened one of two non-potable water stations to support the construction industry during the current water restrictions, aiming to enable construction activities and landscaping.
June 19, 2024 Work on the water feeder main break in Calgary is progressing faster than expected, with the construction timeline being advanced to potentially reduce water restrictions by July 5. Additionally, efforts are being made to provide non-potable water for construction work and to conserve water by reusing de-chlorinated water from pools.
June 18, 2024 Repair on remaining five hotspots continue. Three segments of the pipeline prepped for installation, while the remaining two segments are anticipated to be delivered from San Diego soon.
June 17, 2024 The repairs to the original break complete and construction set to begin on remaining hotspots.
June 16, 2024  Inspection concluded on the remaining 300 metres of pipe and preliminary results indicate no new hotspots
June 15, 2024 City of Calgary declares Local State of Emergency
June 14, 2024 A total of 4.3 km of  the pipe has been inspected for further repairs. Five hot spots south of the current break have been assessed to require critical and urgent repair.
June 13, 2024 Work temporarily paused and then resumed as two workers were injured in an accident related to the repair. A safety investigation and thorough post-incident is required to resume the repair work. In the meantime, the removed pipe was transported to another location for additional failure analysis. 
June 12, 2024 Crews weld repairs on the access hatches along the inspected section of the pipe. The new section of the pipe was completely disinfected in preparation for being lowered into place. 
June 11, 2024 Robots deployed into pipe to inspect and assess other sections.
June 10, 2024 Boil Water Advisory lifted for Bowness, but water restrictions and fire ban for Calgary continue. Assessment of the damaged pipe also continue.
June 9, 2024 Crews cut into the pipe to remove the damaged portion.
June 8, 2024 Crews prepare feedermain for inspection to determine the next steps and expect to begin cutting out the damaged section of pipe.
June 7, 2024 Crews reach damaged section of the pipe and clear water, dirt, and debris to assess the leak site.
June 6, 2024 Confirmation that the watermain is a critical transmission line enabling water movement across the city. The break resulted in Boil Water Advisory for Bowness, Stage 4 Water Restrictions, and fire ban for Calgary. Water wagons were stationed in Bowness that provided clean drinking water for residents, with donations encouraged for those with mobility issues.
June 5, 2024 City investigation confirms extensive watermain break in N.W communities of Bowness and Montgomery.

Councillor Sharp asks about timeline for watermain repair and reopening of 16 Ave NW

Ward 1 FAQ's

Why does the City not replace the whole Bearspaw South Feeder Main?

The City is working with a private engineering company on the medium—and long-term plans for the Bearspaw South Feeder Main. They are considering different options and will provide more information soon.

If you live in the northwest, why were you impacted by the south feeder main break?

Councillor Sharp has raised residents' concerns about the interconnected water system at the recent City Council meeting here

The non-operational Bearspaw south feedermain has led to changes in water routes across the entire City, which has subsequently affected all NW communities.

The broken pipe has caused significant changes in system pressure and flows, which water conservation efforts aim to manage.

A map of Public Water Mains and Pressure Zones is available on Open Data to illustrate the system's interconnectivity. Councillor Sharp encourages water conservation to ensure system reliability and function.

When will an investigation happen?

A final report including recommendations and findings will be delivered to the Chief Administration Officer by October 31, 2024, and come to Committee or Council in November 2024. Councillor Sharp knows that understanding the cause of the feeder main failure is a matter of significant public interest and importance, and is looking forward to hearing the final report in November. 

Why did we move back to Stage 4 Outdoor Water Restrictions?

In early June, while repairs were being completed to the initial break on the feeder main, The City used a robotic device to scan approximately 4.3 kilometres of the pipe that was drained of water. This scan identified five “hot spots”  segments of the pipe that needed urgent repair before we could refill them with water. 

In late June, after the repairs were made and the pipe was brought back into service, The City used another device called a PipeDiver, to scan the entire length of the feeder main, including approximately six kilometres that had not been scanned initially. 

At the end of July, The City began receiving results from the PipeDiver scan. After analyzing these results, several other segments of the pipe were identified that cannot wait for a medium or long-term plan. 

As a result, The City needed to make urgent repairs to these segments to address the risk of another unexpected break. 

These repairs began on August 26, and continued until the end of September. The majority of the work was along a section of 33 Avenue N.W. There was also work on Parkdale Blvd and  additional repairs on 16 Avenue N.W. 

In order to conduct these urgent repairs, The City needed to again shut down the South Bearspaw Feeder Main and stop the flow of water through it, which means that during the repair period Calgarians needed to return to Stage 4 Outdoor Water Restrictions.

Why did the Stampede continue even though there were restrictions?

The Calgary Stampede, along with other significant festivals, conferences, and events, continued as scheduled, with added water conservation measures in place. 

City Administration worked with the Calgary Stampede to make this important decision, and reviewed the five-year daily water demand trend during Stampede Week, and it has been noted that there wasn’t a significant uptick in demand during past years. They note that this is because many Calgarians travel elsewhere during the month of July, so water usage balances out with visitors versus travelers. They also noted the weather trend that we often see heavy rainfall in early July, so outdoor watering decreases.  

The Calgary Stampede, as a non-profit organization, brought in about $143 million in gross revenue from its own activities last year and received another $7.7 million in grants from the provincial government. That's $150.7 million in total income, about half of which comes from the Stampede itself. They will be covering the cost of the imported water vehicles for this event. 

City Administration is working with the Calgary Hotel Association to prepare communications and regulations for visitors who arrive at hotels for the event. The industry has creative ideas and solutions to help tourists understand the situation that our city is in. Tourism Calgary is also supporting these efforts. 

Councillor Sharp's clarification of water flow to NW communities in Calgary

Categories: General, Newsletter

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