BILD Calgary Region Bulletin 2024 – 50

From:Matthew Achtymichuk, Senior Communications Advisor
Date:September 19, 2024
Subject:Bearspaw South Feeder Main Repair Weekly Update #5 (September 18, 2024)

Please find a membership update bulletin provided by The City of Calgary regarding the Bearspaw South Feeder Main Repair.

Good afternoon,

This email is to update you on the status of the repairs to the Bearspaw South Feeder Main.

Highlights

  • The urgent feeder main repairs are nearing completion. We have moved into return to service activities.
  • On Sunday, September 15th, we reopened 16th Avenue. Traffic is flowing freely along 16th Ave and access to local businesses has been restored. Some intermittent lane closures will be required to support return to service and curb and gutter work.
  • 33rd Avenue NW east of 83rd Street opened yesterday afternoon.
  • We began filling the Bearspaw South Feeder Main on Tuesday September 17th. We have a significant amount of the pipe to refill, and this stage will take three days and 22 million litres of water in total.
  • When we lifted water restrictions in July, we took a phased approach, starting with a return to indoor water use, and then carefully moving through the stages of outdoor restrictions. We took that approach because we knew there were still areas of concern on the pipe.
  • With the repairs completed, we will be able to take a different approach this time. We ask that people ease back into water use, by not doing all their laundry at once, for instance, but once the feeder main is back in service, all restrictions will be fully lifted. We remain on track to lift water restrictions this weekend.
  • We will endeavour to update you again once we know when restrictions will be lifted, however, please monitor Critical water main repair (calgary.ca) for the latest updates and information.

Water Demand Status

  • Water demand continues to remain higher than 485 million litres. We are nearing the finish line, but until the feeder main has been reconnected to the rest of the system, it remains very important that we continue to reduce our water use. Stage 4 Outdoor Water Restrictions remain in effect. We are also continuing to ask businesses and residents to reduce water use indoors.
  • We offer our sincere thanks to residents, businesses, and our regional neighbours for their collective steps to save water. This reflects some of the encouraging community spirit we have seen over the past weeks, with neighbours sharing water-saving tips, and businesses going above and beyond.
  • We also acknowledge the landscaping industry, which has significantly reduced its water use and made substantial sacrifices to support this urgent repair work.

Construction Status

  • We are now in the end stages of construction. Remaining crews moved to daytime only shifts. The round-the-clock construction has helped us progress as quickly as we have, but we hope that the quieter nights bring some relief. We continue to connect with those directly impacted by construction on our progress.
  • Asphalt paving, concrete curb and gutter work are nearing completion at the sites on 33rd Avenue.

Upcoming

  • We still need everyone’s help to continue to save water. This means taking small steps inside and not using City water outside while we remain in Stage 4 Outdoor Water Restrictions.
  • Once the pipe is filled, water samples will be analyzed in a lab to ensure the water quality meets or exceeds all standards. This will take 24 hours, though if we don’t pass the test, we will need to conduct flushing and test again.
  • Once we have passed the test, we will stabilize the system. This means turning on pumps at the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant and beginning to open valves to connect the feeder main to the rest of the water distribution system.  The stabilization should take less than a day.
  • Once all of these steps are complete, we will lift all water restrictions. This may happen over the upcoming weekend.
  • As we shared in August, we have two additional sections of pipe to repair in October and November. These are on a narrower section of the pipe, further east along Memorial Drive in Parkdale. These repairs are much smaller in scope and are in a location we can isolate while keeping some key sections of the feeder main running.
  • As mentioned before, we engaged consultants who have been working on a detailed forensic report. This will include fulsome results from the PipeDiver, as well as soil and structural analysis of the pipe. We anticipate a final report by the end of October.
  • We will also be receiving a report back from our contractor in the coming weeks with recommendations to support the development of our medium- and long-term plans for the pipe. Once we have reviewed the recommendations and factor in our own findings and lessons learned, we will share next steps with the public.
  • These reports are separate from the independent, third-party review of the incident, which is ongoing.

Key Messages

  • We cannot meet normal water demand while return to service work is taking place.
  • Stage 4 Outdoor Water Restrictions are in place which prohibit the outdoor use of potable City water. For more information, visit calgary.ca/savewater.
  • Non-potable water pickup locations will remain open until restrictions are lifted. Businesses can bring their water trucks for filling at four locations free of charge, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. Non-potable water stations – Commercial use
  • We encourage residents and visitors to shop in the Bowness and Montgomery communities as these communities were impacted by construction.

Resources

We have less than a week to keep up our water reduction efforts before we have normal water service again.  For now, please continue to take steps to save water inside, and avoid outdoor water use. We’re almost there. Your efforts are truly making a difference.