Utility constantly monitors Edmonton's 4,000 km of water mains to help minimize damage from breaks

Edmonton's Groat Bridge over the North Saskatchewan River on Aug. 22, 2024. (Cameron Wiebe/CTV News Edmonton)

The utility that manages Edmonton's water distribution system says it has contingency plans in place and that it continually monitors its extensive network of pipes in efforts to minimize damage from potential water main breaks like those seen in other major Canadian cities in recent months.

Marta Buryn, the director of water distribution and transmission for Epcor, told CTV News Edmonton the utility is constantly looking at other systems and learning by attending conferences and speaking to other jurisdictions.

Buryn said Edmonton's system sees failures of varying sizes "from time to time" but tries to prevent them through regular maintenance and inspections, using several tools to monitor Epcor's 4,000 kilometres of water mains.

Last week, a water main in Montreal broke, flooding parts of the city, while several pipes in Calgary burst in June, leading to a boil-water advisory and water restrictions.

Epcor employs crews that work around the clock that respond to water main breaks, she said.

"As soon as we find out that something's happening, someone will be on site, generally in less than 20 minutes," Bruyn said, adding that "every situation is unique, and some can be a lot more challenging than others."

"We'd be assessing the situation and trying to turn off the water as quickly as we can to minimize any impact to our customers."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Cameron Wiebe