Water-main work on schedule despite discovery of valves needing additional repairs

Additional work is being done alongside ongoing water-main repairs in northwest Calgary after the need for it was discovered Thursday.

Michael Thompson, the city’s general manager of infrastructure services, said this isn’t work that was planned when crews went back at the Bearspaw feeder main.

“We never really know 100 per cent what we’re dealing with until we open up the ground,” he said.

During an update on the project, Thompson said, “Valves controlling water distribution in the area need to be repaired.”

The work is expected to take 10 days.

The rest of the work is expected to last weeks anyway.

Thompson said to support the new work, the intersection of 83rd Street and 33rd Avenue N.W. “will be partially closed,” and there “will be lane reductions.”

Temporary traffic lights and traffic flaggers will be utilized during peak hours, he said.

Meanwhile, overall work “continues to be on schedule.”

“During the next three and a half weeks, we will be reinforcing a total of nine segments—six on 16th Avenue near Sarcee Trail and three at Point McKay,” Thompson said.

Thursday afternoon, he said, crews were draining a final section of pipe, excavating work areas and installing trench boxes.

He said now is “the ideal time” for the work to be done.

“We have that additional runoff coming into the Glenmore Reservoir,” he said.

“We see that snow in the mountains, (and) we know there will be that increased water flow coming in.”

Calgarians, along with residents of Airdrie, Chestermere, Strathmore and Tsuut’ina Nation, have kept water use at reduced levels for the first four days of work.

Stage 4 water restrictions remain in effect.

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

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said he’s “encouraged by the buy-in that we’re seeing.”

Farkas also praised city crews for working “at an incredible speed with incredible precision in nine different areas at one time.”

He noted the weather being an added challenge for crews Thursday.