Construction on the Bearspaw South feeder main is running smoothly and will continue to make progress should no environmental factors or unexpected breaks get in the way, according to the city.

Representatives from the City of Calgary told the media during an availability on the afternoon of June 15 that both phases of construction for the feeder main are expected to be completed by the end of this year. 

Efforts to replace the water main pipe started in March, following two breaks that happened within 18-months of each other. The new steel pipe will be installed in the coming weeks as it arrives in Calgary. 

The feeder main replacement process has been divided into two stages. Stage A involved a two-pass microtunneling technique, in which the tunnel was first lined with a concrete carrier pipe, with the new steel pipe to be installed afterwards. 

Initial shaft construction is still to come to various locations along 16 Avenue NW, 44 Street NW, Sarcee Trail NW, and 29 Avenue NW. 

Differently, Stage B used an open-cut construction method, with the first cross-connection work already completed at 77 Street NW and 83 Street NW, between 33 and 34 Avenue NW, and impacted roadways already paved over. 

This week, construction to support the installation of the new feeder main will begin along 34 Avenue NW at two locations between 79-80 Street NW and 85-86 Street NW.

General manager of infrastructure services, and the recently announced interim water utility Chief Operating Officer, Michael Thompson, said that even though Stage A of the project 51 per cent complete, there is still work to do. 

Not in the clear yet, city officials say

Thompson remembered the December 2025 water main break and said that, since it came without warning, there is little to no way to be fully prepared for another break if and when it occurs — consequently getting in the way of construction. 

“The existing pipe is terminally ill — it can break at any time,” he said. 

“Should that pipe break again, we will immediately jump into action and work to fix that pipe. If it does break, they’ll have good water restrictions on that pipeline.”

In addition, he said that extreme rainfall and a lack of comprehensive data could also hinder the city from meeting its fast-approaching timeline. 

Thompson said that the PipeDiver, deployed in April to inspect and collect data from inside the feeder main, experienced a sensor issue that prevented it from obtaining the data it was set to gather. 

Because of this, he said that the city is looking to launch the inspection sometime in the fall, and that doing so would cause another shutdown of the pipe’s operations.

Thompson said that more information will become available toward the end of the summer. In the meantime, he recommended that residents participate in water conservation efforts, such as using rain barrels, and keep an eye on the city’s website for updates on restrictions.

“We’re more than halfway through the project right now, and as of today, all five of the segments are under construction,” he said. 

“Thank you to all Calgarians for your patience and your support as we do this work.”