Calgary planning several water main improvement projects over the next year

On the one-year anniversary of Calgary's water crisis, the city has announced new plans to improve and expand on the infrastructure it repaired last year.

The City of Calgary is getting to work on multiple infrastructure projects planned to improve the reliability of the water system, with construction beginning as soon as this summer.

Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of the Bearspaw South Feeder Main break. The pipe ruptured on June 5, 2024, leading to months of repairs and water restrictions.

The restrictions ended in September and urgent repairs at sites around Calgary were completed in November.

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Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the city’s water infrastructure, stretching 5,000 kilometres underneath the city, needs more investment, and soon.

“Infrastructure is more than pipes and concrete; it’s the foundation of our quality of life. It supports public safety, economic growth and community well-being,” Gondek said.

Looking toward the future of the water main, the city says it is accelerating plans for further improvements to support the long-term resilience of the pipe.

Design work is currently underway, and construction is set to begin later this year.

Construction is also set to begin on a new 22-kilometre feeder main in north Calgary this summer. The design work on a new 25-kilometre feeder main in south Calgary has also begun.

Plans are also underway to build a “micro tunnel” under or beside the Bearspaw Feeder Main.

“It’s not an all-or-nothing project; we bring them all in phases, and so within a couple of years we are going to see increased redundancy and resilience,” Michael Thompson, the city’s general manager of infrastructure services, said.

Two reviews of the water main break have been completed. Associated Engineering investigated the incident for the city, finding that a combination of aging infrastructure and environmental conditions led to the failure of the pipe.

The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta also conducted a review, finding that the city’s engineering practices were sound.

Since the break, the city says it has implemented new tools to detect and manage future risks. Fibre optic monitoring technology is being used to closely monitor the feeder main.

“We’re now monitoring it 24/7, and since that’s gone into effect, we’ve only heard nine wire snaps. So, we know the repairs that we’ve made are holding,” Thompson said.

In April, the city also presented a report to council, highlighting lessons and opportunities to “improve emergency response, internal coordination, communications and future infrastructure planning.”