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6h ago

Calgary Slowly Refills Repaired Bearspaw Feeder Main as City Urges Conservation

Daily water use above the safe threshold keeps the network vulnerable.

An aerial view of the section of the Bearspaw feeder main that ruptured, forcing the City of Calgary to ask residents to limit their water use.
A flood barrier is placed along the bike pathway in Parkdale.
A flood barrier is placed along the bike pathway in Parkdale to protect the community from flooding in the event of another break in Calgary's Bearspaw South feeder main.
Workers prepare 16th Avenue N.W. for paving at the South Bearspaw feeder main repair site in Calgary on Saturday.

Overview

  • Crews finished backfilling and began road repairs, and the feeder main is being refilled cautiously over several days using about 22 million litres from the Bearspaw plant and the Bow River.
  • The refill volume will not count toward the city’s usage dashboard, and once full the water will be treated and tested before the system is stabilized and restrictions are eased.
  • Citywide demand reached 504 million litres on Jan. 9 versus the 485 million litre operating threshold, so mandatory Stage 4 restrictions remain in effect.
  • Officials ask residents to cut 25 to 30 litres per person per day by skipping some toilet flushes, taking shorter showers, and running only full loads of dishes and laundry.
  • To protect communities if another failure occurs, the city removed sections of a flood berm, installed temporary barriers and pumps, cleared drainage routes, and plans additional pipe reinforcement work in spring, with leaders warning the aging main could break again.