Development in the area around Calgary’s troubled Bearspaw South feeder main will be limited for the foreseeable future as the city has banned digging near the pipe.

The Bearspaw South feeder main has ruptured twice in the past 18 months, prompting the City of Calgary to expedite a replacement for the critical water line, along with moving ahead swiftly on reinforcement of spots they believe are at high risk of failure.

The City of Calgary said Thursday that due to the fragile state of the Bearspaw feeder main, any development work, including underground utility work, poses a risk to the pipe.

“The City looked at several options to reduce potential disturbances to the existing fragile Feeder Main from private development,” said Teresa Goldstein, Director of Community Planning, in a prepared media release.  

“The interim measures we are announcing today will allow development to continue with an added layer of oversight.” 

The temporary measures mean there is no construction digging within 10 metres of the feeder main, and there will only be limited permissions for underground utility or service work on the area roads.

The City of Calgary said that it would also be advising against any sort of pile driving activities that could cause unnecessary vibrations to the ground.

“These measures will not impact Calgarians who want to do renovation work, landscaping activities, apply for a change of use or Business License on their private property,” the City of Calgary said.

Development pause sought back in 2024

Development pressures in and around the Bowness and Montgomery area have been an ongoing concern since the June 2024 failure. Former Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp and Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong sought to have redevelopment in the area paused while a review of the infrastructure was done.

That motion was denied by the prior city council.

“I really think we need to have a closer look at it, until we can identify any problems, and we can ensure residents and developers and future residents of these communities that everything is OK and there isn’t going to be a repeat of 2024,” Sharp said back in November 2024.

Ward 1 Coun. Kim Tyers said that residents have been concerned that the ongoing development would have an impact on the area’s aging infrastructure.

“Residents and small business owners in the area in Bowness and Montgomery have shared concerns that additional housing construction activity at this time will intensify traffic issues, risk damaging our aging water infrastructure and threaten the community’s economic stability,” Tyers said.

“By limiting underground construction near the existing pipe and new replacement pipe, we are relieving some of the pressure on these communities and ensuring we are doing our best to maintain the integrity of the feeder main until its full replacement.”

The City of Calgary didn’t indicate how long the measures would be in place, though the full replacement of the Bearspaw South feeder main isn’t expected until the end of 2026.

Meanwhile, the City said that maps identifying the affected parcels are available online.

They said they would be reaching out directly to current redevelopment applicants and those with existing development and construction permits to inform them of the changes.