Water main break disrupts service for Bowness residents

A water issue in northwest Calgary has left dozens of residents scrambling Friday as crews work to restore service.

A water main break along Bowness Road NW cut service to roughly 50 homes beginning around 9 p.m. Thursday, according to the City of Calgary.

The incident is not connected to the ongoing Bearspaw South Feeder Main project, but residents say the outage has created confusion and frustration.

“We woke up with no water. Which was rather inconvenient,” said Bowness resident Dana Vos. “No showers, didn’t know if our water was safe to use or drink. Thank God we ran our dishwasher last night.”

Vos says her husband called 311 Friday morning and was told a water main break was to blame, but they still haven’t received any details about timelines or safety. She says the uncertainty is especially stressful with a baby at home.

“She needs fresh water, and again, I didn’t know if our water was safe to drink, to cook with. Is it a boil water advisory? Nobody’s told us anything,” she said.

Another resident, Valerie Barclay, says a city worker came to her door with a rough estimate.

“He said they’re hoping for 48 hours, but I could tell the way he said it, it’s gonna be a while,” she said.

The biggest challenge for many is the lack of showers.

“We can get water from the water wagon, but it’s not the same as being able to take a shower,” said Charlotte Alabaster. “There were no showers today.”

While the city estimates about 50 homes are affected, some residents believe the number is far higher due to multi‑unit buildings along the block.

“They say only 50 units are affected. I’m sorry, my building has nine units per floor and there’s three floors,” said Glenn Fleming, who was filling jugs at a water truck.

Some have resorted to filling buckets and containers to flush toilets. Others are looking for alternatives.

“I’m probably gonna go to one of the businesses down the street,” said Xavier Wakelin‑Mohammed.

Water trucks have been stationed at 6142, 6128 and 6112 Bowness Road NW as city crews work on repairs.

The crews remain on‑site, but no estimated restoration time has been provided.