Five national experts were chosen to independently review what caused the Bearspaw South feeder main break last June 2024.
Chair of the independent review, Siegfried Kiefer, announced on May 8, the people who will join him in investigating what contributed to the break of Calgary’s largest water supply pipe.
Kiefer’s team comprises four natural gas industry retirees — including Gordon Engbloom, Nancy Foster, Bob Kerr, and Stephen Stanley — alongside the president of Shell Canada, Michael Crothers.
The review panel will soon be busy looking into how the failure of a water main serving over one million residents resulted in a local state of emergency, with results expected in December.
Four months after the main break occurred, the city released a 600-page document detailing what third-party investigations attributed the causes to be. The report noted corrosion and soil with high chlorine content as having played a role in cracking the 11-kilometre-long pipe’s mortar exterior.
Since then, the city shared that 29 repairs have been completed and considers the feeder main stabilized.
Kiefer said that while the Bearspaw water main break is what prompted their review, they are using the opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the entire city’s water, wastewater, and stormwater system operations.
“We will look at all of the incidents of recent history to see whether there are any trends or indications in there that would help us formulate sound recommendations for the future,” he said.
Accompanied by the lengthy leadership resumes of his colleagues, Kiefer expressed humble confidence in their ability to complete the review by the end of the year.
“That’s contingent upon us getting a hold of the right information,” he said.
To ensure they’re equipped with the tools needed to conduct a thorough examination, the city said in a news release that they have selected a secretariat and liaison group.
