Calgary water emergency: Repairs likely to be done in 3-week window

June 19, 2024 Canuck

Calgary officials provided an update on the water emergency Wednesday, saying that regular water supply will likely be restored on the earlier end of the timeline estimate – in about three weeks rather than five.

Michael Thompson, general manager of infrastructure services, said that means repairs could be completed by July 5.

He said the repair work on the five hot spots is continuing quickly, and that construction is taking place 24/7 at two locations along 16th Avenue NW.

Thompson said all the damaged pipes are now exposed and the precise locations identified. The next steps will be cutting the damaged sections of pipe and readying them for removal.

The two sections of specialized water pipe that arrived from San Diego are being treated at a local fabrication shop.

Click to play video: 'Calgary police chief speaks about state of local emergency caused by water crisis'

4:23 Calgary police chief speaks about state of local emergency caused by water crisis

It’s been two weeks since a catastrophic water main break in northwest Calgary triggered a water supply emergency in the city, and as crews work to restore normal water service, Mayor Jyoti Gondek says citizens are succeeding in their “gold-medal effort” to conserve water.

Story continues below advertisement

While delivering an update on Wednesday morning, Gondek said that thanks to Calgarians’ steps to reduce their water use, the city continues to have enough supply to ensure firefighters can do their jobs and hospitals have all the potable water they need.

“I want you to know that understanding that we are better when we stick together is the thing that will get us through this,” she said.

Gondek noted Calgarians used about 445 million litres of water on Tuesday, marking the fourth day in a row that usage has not exceeded the threshold set out by city officials.

“Since the start of this water crisis two weeks ago, you have managed to save over 600 Olympic-sized swimming pools (worth) of water,” she said.

Click to play video: 'Calgarians finding creative ways to save water'

1:50 Calgarians finding creative ways to save water

The initial timeline for a return to normal water service was three to five weeks. That includes repairing the five hot spots, executing feeder main flushing and testing, getting the pipe ready for network flow, restoring the city water and returning the system to normal service.

Story continues below advertisement

Thompson said Wednesday the repair estimate is now “on the lower end,” closer to three weeks.

Breaking news from Canada and around the world sent to your email, as it happens.

“We’ve exposed the sections of pipe… Now we know what we’re dealing with. We have all the pipe in the area and we’re preparing it for installation,” he said. “As we learn more, we’re becoming more confident in our timeline… We’re more comfortable and confident in accelerating it.”

Gondek said she believes it will take a couple days to sandblast and epoxy the sections of pipe from San Diego. She said the size of the pipe meant Calgary had to look elsewhere for the parts. Thompson added that the pipe has to meet technical and safety specifications for use in a water system.

They stressed speed and safety to restore water service are the priorities.

“This quick transportation would not have been possible without the support of multiple levels of government,” Thompson said.

Click to play video: 'Third-party review of Calgary water feeder main break ordered'

1:58 Third-party review of Calgary water feeder main break ordered

The feeder main damaged on June 5 is crucial for moving water around the city. Because of the water supply crisis, residents of Calgary and several nearby municipalities were issued a ban on outdoor water use, which remains in effect. They have also been asked to conserve water indoors.

Story continues below advertisement

A fire ban remains in effect in Calgary, which was brought in to reduce the amount of water that firefighters may need to use.

On Friday, officials announced that in addition to the damage originally found on the feeder main, five more “hot spots” had been discovered that required repair. All the pipes are now in Calgary for crews to work with.

Click to play video: 'Calgary water main break: New pipe has arrived from San Diego, Mayor Gondek says'

1:36 Calgary water main break: New pipe has arrived from San Diego, Mayor Gondek says

River water for industry use

Calgary Emergency Management Agency acting chief Coby Duerr said the city has come up with a way to give construction companies access to river water to continue home-building operations.

The city has been permitted by the province to create two spots on the Bow River where construction companies can “pull through” and pick up non-potable water. That way, they’ll be able to continue housing construction work without putting additional strain on Calgary’s water supply.

Story continues below advertisement

The river water will be free, but companies are responsible for using it appropriately and safely.

“We’re hoping to support the construction industry and making sure that we can get back to the essential building that we need to be doing right now,” Duerr said. “We’re working with the construction industry to find out how much water they’re going to be using.

“It’s going to be a pull-through methodology where you pull through, get your water and off you go again. It will be non-potable, it will be from the river, and we have the appropriate permit.”

Click to play video: 'Calgarians told to not collect water from rivers amid conservation efforts'

1:01 Calgarians told to not collect water from rivers amid conservation efforts

Thompson said water is essential for compaction.

“Compaction of the materials required to build those communities. That’s what we’ll be using it for and the industry will be using it for — to ensure that we’re keeping that community construction going throughout the summer.”

Story continues below advertisement

In an email to Global News, the province said the City of Calgary applied for a temporary diversion licence for water for industrial purposes.

“As a result, Alberta’s government has issued two temporary diversion licences to the City of Calgary for a total of 200,000 cubic metres (100,000 m3 each) for non-potable industrial purposes with diversion points out of the Bow River,” a spokesperson for the minister of environment said.

“This temporary diversion of non-potable water will help reduce pressure on the potable water system that is stressed due to the line break but is up to the City of Calgary to track and manage water withdrawals and access.”

Details on the Bow River locations and times will be announced in the coming days, Duerr said.

Duerr said with pools closed, the city is also looking at recycling that water – using dechlorinated water from pools to wash bridge decks and for other jobs.

Click to play video: 'Calgary recreation centres cope with water shortage'

1:50 Calgary recreation centres cope with water shortage

Bylaw and enforcement

As of Wednesday, there have been 7,246 complaints made about the water emergency, including water misuse and fire ban infringements.

Story continues below advertisement

There have been 574 written warnings, 723 verbal warnings and three violation tickets issued to corporations.

“We’re heading into a stretch of warm weather in the coming days and this will be our first test of summer-like weather with water restrictions,” Duerr said, encouraging people to continue to reduce water use by 25 per cent.

He also addressed “reports our crews being harassed, called names and filmed and photographed while out doing critical repair work.”

“This behaviour is not OK,” Duerr said.