Update August 30: Bearspaw South Feeder Main repairs

With hot weather in the forecast over this long weekend and into next week, we are very concerned about water usage during Stage 4 restrictions. The efforts of Calgarians to reduce water use are incredibly important right now to ensure we are making the most of our limited water while the Bearspaw South Feeder Main is turned off for urgent repairs.

Yesterday, our water demand was 487 million litres of water, which exceeds our target of 450 million litres and continues to put us at risk for depleting our underground storage reservoirs. If we continue at the current rate, we will run out of water before repairs are complete.

We have had some questions about what businesses are doing to make reductions to their water use. Just as we’re asking residents to make changes to their water use, we’re asking businesses to reduce by 25 per cent if they safely can.

We continue to reach out to our largest customers. We have made hundreds of phone calls and will continue to encourage them to do all that they can.

Please remember that you must not use potable water outside. If your plants need water, use water from your rain barrels, grey water from your shower or other non-potable sources. If you haven’t checked the timer on your lawn sprinklers, please do so immediately so that they don’t accidentally activate. This could mean a $3,000 fine.


Water Utility Bylaw Enforcement

Community Standards is actively working with the Water teams and 311 to follow up on reports of outdoor water misuse. We are increasing our presence in communities and will be working through the weekend.

As of this morning, we have received a total of 276 calls since Stage 4 restrictions took effect on Monday. Of these complaints, 56 are related to commercial or industrial properties. We are actively following up on all calls.

The rain earlier in the week did not impact water use in a way we were expecting. We continue to see instances of automatic sprinklers running. Just this morning, we received 76 reports related to sprinkler use that have a high likelihood of fines. We will begin issuing tickets in the next few days.

If you have an automatic irrigation system, please turn it off immediately. If you need to water your trees or gardens, you can use non-potable water sources like your rain barrel, grey water or river water from one of our designated pick-up locations.

Today we heard some unconfirmed reports of people going door-to-door claiming to be checking for water restriction violations and using that as a ruse for theft.

There are no City crews going door to door doing such checks.

To ensure your safety, please be aware that any official inspections related to water use will only be conducted by bylaw officers in clearly marked uniforms, and they will always carry proper identification. Our officers also have no reason to gain access inside the home.

If City staff require access to homes for any reason, it would be by appointment only through 3-1-1. If you receive an unexpected visit from someone claiming to be a City employee who is not in a clearly marked uniform with appropriate identification, please contact Calgary Police Services.

Construction update

We’re making good progress and are on schedule. There are eight worksites along the feeder main where we will perform a total of 21 pipe segment repairs.

If you are in the repair area, you will notice active sites are busy and work is progressing safely and as quickly as possible. Excavation activities are underway for nine segments across multiple sites. This is up from the eight reported yesterday.

All excavations for these first four sites are estimated to be complete by Sept. 3.

The materials required for concrete encasement are beginning to arrive on site today. This includes rebar to construct the form around the pipe. Creating the rebar form and concrete pouring is expected to start this weekend as excavation is completed around some of the repair segments.

Crews are preparing to start construction on 16 Avenue, which is planned to begin on Sept. 5.

Our team continues to talk to businesses and those in the repair area to help them prepare for the construction impacts.

We would like to recognize those in the Montgomery and Bowness areas for their support throughout this repair.

We appreciate the hard work of our crews and the patience of the community as we carry out these necessary repairs. Your cooperation is vital as we work to ensure a safe and reliable water supply. We’ll be keeping a close eye on our water usage and system performance and are working around the clock to complete the repairs as quickly and safely as possible.