Water restrictions returning to Calgary in March due to feeder main construction

The City of Calgary will be under water restrictions again in just over two weeks time to allow for reinforcements to the Bearspaw South Feeder Main.

Officials announcing Friday construction on the planned reinforcements is scheduled to start March 9 and last for approximately four weeks.

The feeder main will be taken out of service to complete construction. During this time, outdoor water use will not be permitted and indoor water conservation will be in effect.

During this time, the city says it’s critical all Calgarians and the surrounding regions use less water.

All Calgarians are asked to save 25 to 30 litres of water per day indoors by keeping showers to three minutes or less, flush toilets only when necessary, and only run dishwashers and washing machines when there is a full load.

Crews will work on up to nine segments of the existing pipe to support operations and stability. This includes reinforcing six sections of the pipe that are experiencing enhanced levels of deterioration along 16 Avenue NW near Sarcee Trail, where four new wire snaps were reported last week.

“That’s one of the most vulnerable sections of pipe,” says the city’s infrastructure GM Michael Thompson. “Six of those pipe segments are there. 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, similar to what was on Dec. 30.”

The city says the reinforcements are needed to keep the Bearspaw South Feeder Main alive until the new parallel steel pipe is completed and can take over service.

Teams are also exploring three potential reinforcements at Point McKay Park, however, more coordination is needed due to how close to to the feeder main the work would occur.

Other work being completed during the spring shutdown includes: replacing the valves on the feeder main near the Shaganappi Pump Station, inspecting of the steel pipe connection to the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant, and replacement of valves at 33 Avenue and 89 Street, which will help control how water moves between the feeder main and the smaller distribution system.

Despite the ongoing work to resolve the situation, the city says there is no guarantee the pipe won’t break unexpectedly again before or after the reinforcement work happens.

If another break happens before the reinforcement work takes place, the city says crews will work quickly to repair the break and complete the reinforcements at the same time.

Preparations are underway to allow for crews to mobilize quickly if this happens, the city says.