The City of Calgary is ramping up communication ahead of upcoming work to repair additional hotspots on the Bearspaw south water feeder main.
In an update Tuesday afternoon, the City of Calgary’s Infrastructure Service GM Michael Thompson said that they’re finalizing data from the PipeDiver tool but that crews would be out starting Thursday marking feeder main locations and utilities where repair work is likely to happen.
Calgarians will once again be in Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions starting Aug. 26, with water main fixes beginning Aug. 28 after the line is fully drained. The City is also asking residents and businesses to reduce the amount of indoor water being used at that time.
Thompson said that Alberta One Call will be around neighbourhoods in the affected water main areas, and they may need to access private property to make, but won’t enter homes or businesses.
“Our teams are currently working to ensure that the repair work carefully evaluates the impacts the repairs will have on the impacted communities,” he said.
“We are evaluating a wide range of factors to ensure that all aspects of daily life have been taken into account.”
Thompson said they will be looking at mobility issues, accessibility to driveways, alleys and laneways, water services, waste collection and mail and delivery services, along with emergency routes.
“In addition to looking at the specific impacts for residents and businesses, we understand the importance of reliable transit and mobile mobility networks, and we are working to minimize disruption by planning for detours and potential transit route changes,” he said.
“We are committed to communicating all work that will be taking place leading up to during and after the repairs have been completed.”
Thompson encouraged residents in the construction areas to sign up for minimum twice-a-week updates on construction in the affected areas.
City also cutting back on water use
The City of Calgary’s Environmental Planning and Policy Leader, Rehana Rajabali, said that they understand Calgarians are tired of the ongoing water restrictions, and now the upcoming construction impacts the repairs are causing.
She reiterated what city officials have been saying for weeks – that the repairs are important to protect Calgary’s water supply long term. Rajabali also said that this particular work needs to be completed in the short term to lower the risk of another “unplanned failure in the feeder main.”
“We also need to make the repairs within the coming weeks to ensure that we can maintain Calgary’s water supply through the winter, unlike the situation in June,” she said.
Water will still be accessible for Calgarians at home, Rajabali said. However, they are asking citizens and business owners to conserve water where possible.
“Throughout the repair work, you will continue to have access to water, and while we know it is a hardship, we will need your help to ensure that our water is used wisely so that we have water for emergencies and enough for all throughout the repair process,” Rajabali said.
She said the City of Calgary will no longer be watering plants or flowers, along with irrigating grass areas maintained for city-owned buildings. Wash bays for City of Calgary vehicles will also be closed down, and vehicles only washed to comply with public health rules.
They will also be flooding ice rinks less often and placing signage to encourage rec facility users to conserve water while showering or washing hands.
There are two weeks to prepare, Rajabali said.
“We encourage you to take this period to make sure your gardens, trees and shrubs are healthy leading up to the return to stage four restrictions,” she said, noting the addition of rain barrels to collect water and the addition of mulch to prevent water loss.
GM Thompson said they would have more information on specific work locations beginning Thursday. As they analyze the final PipeDiver results, they’ll be able to pinpoint the locations and determine if there are more or fewer locations than the 16 they have identified to date.
