Starting at midnight on March 9, water restrictions returned, and Calgarians are advised to comply with them amid ongoing repairs to the Bearspaw South feeder main, which is now out of service and will be under construction for four weeks.

During a media availability on Monday, water services employees at the City of Calgary joined Mayor Jeromy Farkas to announce the return of outdoor water restrictions for residents of Calgary, Airdrie, Strathmore, and Tsuut’ina Nation.

Until early April, traffic will alsobe affected while construction is underway on nine pipe segments along the feeder main, including six along 16 Avenue NW near Sarcee Trail and three at Point McKay Park, according to a city news release. 

Excavations are expected to begin tomorrow, as crews are draining water from the pipe, which is now completely shut down. Once the feeder main is fully depressurized, crews will begin installing a steel cage and concrete casing simultaneously in all identified segments. 

Despite the city having seen 10 to 20 cm of snow and high winds on Sunday — with more to come this week — deputy director of drinking water, Ryan Kidd, said that it’s unlikely that the conditions will hinder construction.

“Crews have been watching the weather and making plans to adjust, and will continue to make progress,” he said. 

The city reiterated the same advice as before, including only flushing toilets, running dishwashers, and laundry machines when necessary, to help reach its goal of keeping the area’s daily water usage below 500 million litres.

“This shutdown is necessary to complete important reinforcement work and protect our water system,” said Nicole Newton, the city’s director of climate and environment. “For the next four weeks, we need everyone to work together to reduce water use while our system is less flexible.”

Long-term solutions, keeping residents informed, are top priorities 

Mayor Farkas said that by focusing on supporting weakened areas of the pipe over the next month, this will help to keep the feeder main operational until the pipe is replaced entirely, which is expected to happen next December. 

“Remember, it is just one or two more times that we will have to go through this as a city before we solve this problem for good,” he said. 

“The light is at the end of the tunnel.”

Regardless of this timeline, Farkas said it is subject to change, acknowledging the unpredictable nature of the feeder main following its second rupture in almost two years.  

“There is no guarantee that, even with these reinforcements, that [the pipe] doesn’t break next month or in the middle of the summer,” he said.

“That’s why we are moving heaven and earth to be able to build this as fast as humanly possible.”

Farkas said that Calgarians’ cooperation is essential and that small, water-conscious changes to residents’ daily routines will continue to buy the city more time to install a permanent solution. 

“We are using that needed time that we bought to build the ultimate replacement so that we’re never ultimately going to be in the situation again,” he said. 

Keeping residents informed is at the top of mind, Farkas said, including through. Additionally, the city has set up a dedicated feeder main information centre at the Bowness Community Association. 

Intended for residents of Bowness, Montgomery, and Parkdale, the centre will be open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

The city is expected to provide another update to the media on the afternoon of Thursday, March 12, regarding the Bearspaw South feeder main.