Water flow increased, 'things going smoothly' with Bearspaw feeder main

Water pressure was successfully raised at the Bearspaw feeder main with no issues detected in the pipe, said Francois Bouchart, the City of Calgary's director of capital priorities and investment, on Tuesday.

The update comes nearly six weeks after a catastrophic break of the key feeder main in the city's northwest. 

Earlier this week, the city said Calgary is moving cautiously toward Stage 2 water restrictions by bringing online another pump at the Bearspaw feeder main. The city's aim is to ratchet down to Stage 2 restrictions by Thursday.

"Water flow has increased, and as of this afternoon, we have not detected any issues within the pipe that might halt our progress," Bouchart said in his update Tuesday.

"Things are going smoothly so far."

For now, the city remains under Stage 3 outdoor water use restrictions, meaning Calgarians can water their gardens and outdoor plants, but only using handheld containers or buckets.

Some relief for irrigation companies

Bouchart added the city has expanded the scope of what is allowed under Stage 3 outdoor water restrictions to include the maintenance of irrigation systems. 

"This means that irrigation companies can now run water through the pipes of in-ground sprinkler systems if they are fixing irrigation lines," Bouchart said.

"After maintenance is completed, property owners must follow the outdoor restrictions that are in place for irrigation systems. We know this doesn't alleviate the industry's concerns but we hope it is a step in the right direction that will help them expand the services they are currently able to provide."

Kyle Brost, acting president of the Canadian Prairie chapter of the Irrigation Association, told CBC News irrigators are actively working with the city. He acknowledged there are some limitations in the bylaws surrounding irrigation work while the city is under water-use restrictions. 

"They're going to look to rewrite the bylaw in Quarter 1 of 2025, and they've asked us for additional insight and input at that time," Brost said.

"We love the fact the City of Calgary has come out with a concrete plan with the staged increase of water flow through the pipes and when stages [of water use restrictions] will come off, so we just hope that that process goes well for the city, and that we get out of all restrictions as soon as possible."

Brost added his organization is looking forward to when the Bearspaw feeder main can operate at full capacity so irrigators can get back to work.

The city used 558 million litres of water on Monday, an increase from Sunday but still within the limits that the city can provide.

Bearspaw feeder main integrity

Four wire snaps in total have been confirmed along the Bearspaw feeder main as of Tuesday. Bouchart has said previously that wire snaps are not an indication of an imminent break but rather that the pipe is under some stress. 

Wires coil around the pipe to help strengthen it. The fourth wire snap was detected Monday, before the additional pump was turned on at Bearspaw.

"We have not detected any snaps since the pump was turned on yesterday afternoon," Bouchart said. "This could change, and if it does, it could impact our ability to move to Stage 2 restrictions and beyond." 

The city says if new damage or additional signs of stress are noticed, it will halt progress in lifting restrictions.

City officials say that although the pipe is full of water, that water is not moving at its normal speed. This keeps the pressure low and reduces stress on the pipe.

The flow through the pipe that replaced the section that broke June 5 on 16th Avenue N.W. is on a path toward 70 per cent of its capacity, according to Bouchart. 

With everything going as planned, Stage 1 outdoor water restrictions could go into effect on July 22.