Calgary's inconsistent weather continues to cause water main breaks

Calgary water mains breaking up The huge temperature swings have created problems for the city's plumbing, as dozens of water mains have broken. Chris Epp reports.

If Sangeetha Ravindran and her twin eight-year-old daughters get thirsty, they have to make a trip to the water truck outside their Parkdale home, instead of heading to the kitchen.

"Since Wednesday night, we've had no water," said Ravindran. "So Thursday, we got this water wagon. It's okay. At least we have water to drink."

Thirty homes in the northwest community have been without running water since a water main burst earlier this week.

It's one of 11 water main bursts across Calgary in the last 48 hours.

"Everything is a problem right now," Ravindran said. "Cooking, we have not had a shower, toilets are not flushing… so all the basic things."

The City of Calgary says roughly 200 homes, along with many businesses, are affected by all the water main breaks.

Officials say a cycle of freezing and then warming temperatures is to blame.

Martin Haefcke, an instructor in SAIT's pipe trades program, says Calgary's older neighbourhoods tend to suffer more in these situations.

"As people drive on streets, and the longer an area has been there, the frost gets deeper, because the ground gets more compact," Haefcke said. "So frost gets down to areas that it didn't usually... Sometimes that just happens. Sometimes it's just age. (It's) a pretty common issue to some parts that are quite old now, that wear and tear."

The city says it usually can fix water main breaks with two days, but crews are swamped right now so they may have to hire external contractors to help get the job done.

Meanwhile, the Ravindrans hope they soon won't need to make any more trips to the water truck.

"(The city) says they'll fix it within 48 hours," Sangeetha said on Friday.. "By the end of tonight, it will be 48, so we are hoping it's be done and restored."