Construction on the Bearspaw feeder main is ahead of schedule and construction work is expected to be complete this weekend.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said at Thursday’s update that the completion of construction meant that they’re about a week ahead of schedule.
“On behalf of all Calgarians, I would like to thank and congratulate all of the crews and the teams who have been working tirelessly to help secure the safety of our water system,” the mayor said.
“This new construction timeline means that you will only need to keep conserving water for about 10 more days. That’s the time it will take for crews to finish the concrete pours, the backfill and the paving work on all of the repair sites, as well as the careful filling of pipe, plus monitoring of water flow and quality of water testing.
“We can actually see the finish line now.”
Work has been ongoing, 24 hours a day, seven days a week since Aug. 26, on 21 spots along 33 Avenue NW and 16 Avenue NW. In that time, Calgary has been under Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions and voluntary indoor water restrictions.
Infrastructure Services GM Michael Thompson said that there is still a small chance of hiccups in the timeline, particularly with the rain in the forecast. This weekend, they plan to begin pouring concrete at the last repair segment in site five. Portions of 33 Avenue will begin to open, allowing citizens to access parking in front of their homes.
“Our next steps will be to finish concrete curbs and gutters sidewalks and restoration of driveways and landscaping, which will be ongoing on Monday, September 16,” he said.
“We expect to reopen 16th Avenue, though there will still be a few localized lane closures. This is a full week ahead of the original schedule.”
Fill, test, stabilize coming next
Thompson said that once the feeder main is back in service, they will have to go through the same process that they did before where they will have to fill and stabilize the pipeline. That will take three days. While there is no need to flush because none of the pipes were opened, Thompson said it will take more time to fill the line because of a longer section of pipe to fill.
They will have to provide water samples over 24 hours to ensure the supply is safe to drink.
“If all goes according to plan, this will mean we can return to normal water use and lift all outdoor water restrictions over the weekend of Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22,” Thompson said.
“The team will continue to work 24 hours a day and look for any opportunities to safely speed up progress.”
For the second day in a row, Calgarians were under the 485 million litres threshold (484 million Wednesday and 461 million on Tuesday), and Francois Bouchart, director of capital priorities and investment, said that it’s important to maintain those efforts until the job is done.
“We are really seeing the difference, and it is a huge relief to our plant operators and the water team,” he said.
“While you have just heard great news that the end of the restrictions is in sight, I want to remind you that until the feeder main is back in service, saving water will still be extremely important. Although the rain outside gives relief to our lawns and gardens, our ability to move drinking water in the system remains challenged. Please keep up with great work for just a little longer.”
Mayor Gondek also said that a third-party review of the June 5 water feeder main break is underway. She also said that a forensic report by the city is ongoing and is expected by the end of October.
“Both of those reviews will provide all of us with the transparency and clarity on what happened, why it happened, and how we can ensure that it does not happen again,” she said.
