Calgary hosting pop-up info session for those affected by current water-main repair work

Calgary hosting info session on main repairs We're days away from major repair work starting on the Bearspaw feeder main... and the expectation of weeks of major disruptions.

The City of Calgary will hold a pop-up information session on Friday for community members impacted by the water-main repair work along 33 Avenue N.W. and 16 Avenue N.W.

Francois Bouchart, director of capital priorities and investment, said Thursday that the city will reach out to impacted community members directly to give them information on the time and location for the meeting.

The repair work will fix so-called "hot spots" in the Bearspaw feeder main – segments of pipe that need urgent repairs before being filled with water.

In total, 21 segments will be fixed.

Bouchart said Thursday the early phases of construction on 33 Avenue between 78 Street and 87 Street N.W. are now underway.

"Significant" construction work will begin on Monday, he said, in addition to feeder-main repairs in Shouldice Park later in the week.

Bouchart said work at Shouldice Park won't impact traffic on 16 Avenue N.W., but there may be temporary impacts to Monserrat Drive N.W.

The repair work on 33 Avenue N.W. will have no impact to traffic on 16 Avenue N.W. until after the Labour Day long weekend.

Afterward, areas of 33 Avenue N.W. will be closed between 76 and 87 streets N.W.

Calgary will see Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions resume at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, which means outdoor watering of any type is prohibited, and reduced indoor water use is encouraged.

Calgary breweries encouraged to adopt water-saving measures

A spokesperson for the Alberta Small Brewers Association is encouraging all small breweries in Calgary to adopt water-saving measures.

Andrew Bullied, founder and sales manager at Annex Ales and Sodas, spoke at Thursday's City of Calgary news conference on water-main repairs.

He said that while beer brewing and beverage manufacturing are water-intensive processes, Annex was able to make drastic changes that helped reduce water consumption.

Bullied says at Annex, the typical water-usage ratio is 5.5 litres of water for every litre of beer produced.

"This water is essential for cleaning, rinsing, sanitation and filtration," he explained.

Bullied said when the feeder main broke in June, the Alberta Small Brewers Association put out a set of guidelines to help members reduce water used during the brewing process.

Ideas included reclaiming rinse water from tank cleaning and can rinsing, and limiting the use of reverse osmosis water filtration unless absolutely necessary.

"At Annex, we implemented these guidelines and saw remarkable results. We were able to reduce our water usage from 5.5 litres (of water) per litre of beer, to 3.5 litres (of water) per litre of beer, a 36 per cent reduction," he said.

"We are fully committed to continuing with these practices for the duration of the Stage 4 water restrictions, and exploring ways to make some of these changes permanent.

"I encourage all small breweries in Calgary to adopt similar water-saving measures," Bullied said. "Together, we can make a significant impact on the communities water conservation efforts."