16 Avenue NW fully reopens as work on Bearspaw feeder main progresses

Calgary officials say progress on the Bearspaw feeder main break has reached a turning point, with 16 Avenue NW fully reopened to traffic after repair crews completed their work early Wednesday.

Despite the roadway reopening, the city cautions residents that an increased presence of emergency crews and first responders will remain in the area until at least Friday as a precaution while monitoring continues.

“(It’s) a delicate process,” says the city’s infrastructure GM Michael Thompson. “We can’t guarantee there won’t be another break during this time. So, we are proceeding very carefully and gradually to return this pipe into service safely.”

Samples taken from the repaired feeder main on Tuesday met all drinking water standards, allowing crews to move into the next phase of restoration.

The feeder main has now been reconnected to the broader water system, and the city says it will be brought back into service in stages, with pumps turned on gradually to avoid another break. Crews activated the first set of pumps on Wednesday with more planned through Friday.

In addition to construction crews, police, fire, and city workers remain on site to ensure a quick response time if more breaks happen.

“If you hear or see something strange, call 311; if it is an emergency, call 911,” said emergency management chief Sue Henry. “And if we are in a situation where there is water in a roadway, we always ask folks not to drive into that roadway if there is water present on that roadway.”

If progress continues as expected, current water restrictions could be lifted by the end of the weekend, according to officials.

Until then, water demand remains a concern. The city reported usage of 499 million litres on Tuesday, still higher than the system can comfortably support.

Officials continue to urge Calgarians and surrounding communities to push consumption down to roughly 485 million litres to ease strain on the network.

“While the finish line is in sight, we need your help just a little bit longer,” says Henry. “Every little bit of water counts. We want to keep the level of the Glenmore Reservoir as high as possible to ensure we have enough water to last until spring runoff begins.”

Officials have said that water restrictions could return if the feeder main breaks again.