Calgary creeps back into water-use red zone as feeder-main work nears halfway point

Days without a water-use incident: zero.

Calgarians crept above the 500-million-litre water-use mark again on Wednesday, ending the city’s latest streak just a couple of days in.

“Let’s chalk this up to a St. Patrick’s Day hangover,” Michael Thompson, general manager of infrastructure services for the city, said at a Thursday news conference.

Water restrictions remain in place as reinforcement of the aged and ailing Bearspaw feeder main continues in the city’s northwest.

It’s asked people “flush toilets only when needed, keep showers to three minutes or less and run dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads.”

The shutdown is nearing the halfway point, and Thompson said Thursday, “Our progress is going well.”

The city’s message: “Hang in there.”

Thompson noted it takes everyone’s buy-in.

“Even if you don’t live near the work area, the water flowing to your taps all comes from the same treatment plants,” he said.

Mayor Jeromy Farkas said, “These next two weeks matter just as much, if not more, than the first two.”

“This is about fixing this problem for good,” he said.

“(It’s) about reinforcing this critical piece of infrastructure so it can safely serve our city until the replacement line is fully built and in.

“(It’s) about making sure Calgary is never in this position again.”

In December 2025, water billowed up from under the road in northwest Calgary for a second time.

This main break, near the Sarcee Trail/16 Avenue N.W. interchange, was just a few blocks from the last one in summer 2024.

After the first main break, a local state of emergency was declared.

The city carried out 29 repairs along the Bearspaw line, with the work completed by November 2024.

The second time, repairs took weeks, not months.

In the wake of the second main break and the realization of what state the Bearspaw line is in, efforts have been sped up to create a parallel line to take over.