Calgary residents face the prospect of continued water disruptions as a decades-old feeder main continues to deteriorate, despite warnings dating back to 2004. A panel report released Wednesday revealed years of deferred inspections and a “too high” risk tolerance regarding critical infrastructure, a finding underscored by a second break on the same line last week.
The report paints a picture of systemic underinvestment in Calgary’s water infrastructure, raising questions about how cities balance growth with essential maintenance.
- A 2004 break in a similar Calgary feeder main foreshadowed the Bearspaw South feeder main’s vulnerability.
- Three recommendations to inspect the Bearspaw line—in 2017, 2020, and 2022—were delayed or redirected.
- The panel urges accelerating the replacement of the concrete pipe with a steel alternative, aiming for completion by early 2027—sooner than the current 2028 timeline.
- A new, independent water utility department is recommended to improve accountability.
Q: What’s the biggest takeaway from the report? A: Calgary knowingly allowed a critical piece of water infrastructure to degrade for years, prioritizing growth over preventative maintenance, and now faces potentially frequent disruptions until a full replacement is completed.
Years of Warnings Ignored
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The Bearspaw South feeder main, installed in the mid-1970s, was flagged as vulnerable after the 2004 rupture of the McKnight feeder main in northeast Calgary. Both lines were constructed with prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP), a material now known to be susceptible to failure. That 2004 break flooded McKnight Boulevard and left approximately 100,000 residents without water.
Despite this precedent, the panel found that three recommendations to inspect the Bearspaw line – in 2017, 2020, and 2022 – were either deferred or redirected as the city prioritized other projects. “The city was growing at a remarkable pace, and quite often, growth investments overtook some of the resilience and redundancy investments that should have been undertaken at the time,” panel chair Siegfried Kiefer told reporters this week.
The situation isn’t unique to Calgary. The report notes that more than one-quarter of water mains across Canada require repair. However, Calgary’s rapid population growth and the costs associated with its sprawling, low-density layout exacerbate the risk.
“Ticking Time Bomb” Until Replacement
The panel concluded that another break is likely, echoing concerns previously voiced by Mayor Jeromy Farkas, who described the feeder main as a “ticking time bomb” until it’s replaced. Kiefer emphasized the pipe’s deteriorating condition, stating, “The current Bearspaw feeder main is in a state of disrepair and no matter how much patching we do to it, it will continue to be unreliable.”
Construction is already underway to replace the concrete pipe with a steel alternative, initially slated for completion by 2028. Following last week’s break, city officials announced an acceleration of the project. The panel is pushing for an even faster timeline, aiming to have the new steel pipe in place within 12 to 14 months, by early 2027.
University of Calgary civil engineering professor Kerry Black cautioned against assigning blame. “These are collective decisions where we are trying to prioritize what’s most important to the city,” she said. “You can’t fix everything, so you prioritize the things that are the highest risk.”
Cost and Accountability
The panel did not conduct a detailed cost analysis, but chair Kiefer advocated for prioritizing speed over cost. “The real urgency is time. It’s not lowest cost, et cetera,” said Kiefer, formerly CEO and president of Canadian Utilities.
Repairing the feeder main in 2024 cost the city $38.2 million. A cost estimate for a full replacement has not yet been released.
The panel also recommended creating a new, independent water utility department, led by an executive directly accountable for system performance. In the long term, they suggest transitioning to a standalone, city-owned corporation, similar to EPCOR in Edmonton. An independent advisory board would provide oversight, eventually replaced by a board of directors.
Limitations of Acoustic Monitoring
Following the 2024 failure, Calgary implemented acoustic fibre optic monitoring to detect wire snaps in the pipe. However, last week’s break occurred without any detected snaps in the preceding two months. City officials described the latest break as a clean split down the pipe, resembling a “zipper.”
The report notes that wire breaks account for only half of known PCCP failures, and that other utilities employ a broader range of monitoring techniques, including electromagnetic inspections and robotic camera assessments.
What do you think? Should cities prioritize preventative maintenance even if it means delaying other projects? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
