‘Completed two phases’: Calgary’s catastrophic water main repair nearing completion

Firefighters stage at the side of a flooded highway in this handout photo, as the broken Bearspaw South Feeder Main, centre, spews water in Calgary, on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Ian Royer (Mandatory Credit)

CALGARY — Calgarians will have to wait a little longer before water restrictions will be lifted after a catastrophic water main break a couple of weeks ago.

A key water main ruptured just before New Year's Eve, forcing the city to plug the pipe for repairs and set voluntary water-use restrictions.

It's the second fracture of the water line in the past two years and has drawn criticism of both current and former city leadership for not taking preventative action.

The city says another pump for the Bearspaw South Feeder Main, which provides 60 per cent of the treated water used by those in the city and in surrounding municipalities, was successfully turned on Thursday morning.

The final pump is scheduled to be activated on Friday morning and if the pipe remains stable it would take about 24 hours to stabilize the system before advancing to each subsequent phase.

The Alberta government has launched a review of Calgary’s water main ruptures and is demanding the city turn over reams of documents dating back two decades within the next two weeks.

"We are proceeding carefully as we further increase flow into the pipe,” said City of Calgary Infrastructure Services general manager Michael Thompson.

"Returning the Bearspaw South Feeder Main to service is a delicate and phased process and as of today we have completed two phases."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2026.

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press