Officials in Calgary are scheduled to provide an update this morning regarding last week’s massive water main break and the usage restrictions and supply concerns that emerged as a result.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek, Calgary Emergency Management Agency chief Susan Henry and City of Calgary water services director Nancy Mackay are all expected to provide an update at the city’s Emergency Operations Centre at 2 p.m. local time.
Gondek’s office has also told Global News the mayor will provide a statement at 8:30 a.m.
The water main break occurred in the Montgomery neighbourhood on Wednesday and resulted in a boil water advisory being issued for the neighbouring community of Bowness. As a result of the break, Calgarians were asked to stop using water outdoors and do their best to minimize indoor water use.
City officials have described the broken feeder main as a “critical water transmission line.” They note the damage has “severely impacted” Calgary’s water supply and the ability to move water across the city and have warned that without conservation efforts from Calgarians, supply may not be able to meet demand.
On Sunday night, the city provided an update and said crews continue “efforts to repair a large feeder main break near 16th Avenue and Home Road Northwest.”
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“Work is progressing well, and crews are moving closer to replacing the damaged area of pipe,” city officials said in a news release. ” Today (Sunday), crews succeeded in cutting into the pipe so the damaged portion can be removed. The pipe will be prepped for repair, while completing many technical tests to understand what other work is needed.
“This is a very critical stage and will take some time to complete. Today, a section of pipe was removed near the break, and this is the first step to remove the compromised sections of the pipe which we aim to complete by the end of the day.”
City officials said that after an assessment is complete and crews have all the parts necessary to complete the repair, they will then start installing the new section and completing the welding.
“I want to assure you that our crews, engineers and team members are working around the clock to get this work done,” Mackay said. “We know this is incredibly challenging for residents and businesses in Bowness.”
For the latest updates from the City of Calgary, you can follow the city’s social media channels or click on its website here.
For the latest Alberta Emergency Alerts, you can click on the province’s website here.
For more information on boil water advisories, you can visit the Alberta Health Services website by clicking here.
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