Calgarians are being urged to keep reducing their water use as work to repair a major water main stretches into a second day in Calgary, Friday, June 7, 2024. Repair work on a fractured Calgary water pipe has been paused after two workers were injured at the site last night. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
CALGARY - Repairs to a broken water pipe in Calgary are set to resume after two workers were injured, with provincial officials approving welding to continue. Chris Collier, the city’s safety director, confirmed work could proceed following clearance from Alberta Occupational Health and Safety. One worker remains hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, potentially delaying repairs by a day or two, affecting the estimated completion date of mid-next week.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek urged residents to conserve water as consumption has spiked, surpassing safety thresholds. Water use hit 490 million litres on Wednesday, up from 440 million litres on Saturday, prompting Gondek to stress the seriousness of the situation. Daily usage increased by eight million litres, and Gondek emphasized that conserving water is crucial, noting that without sufficient reserves, essential services like hospitals and firefighting could be jeopardized.
Emergency management chief Sue Henry highlighted the critical role of water conservation when firefighters managed to extinguish a blaze with 100,000 litres, far below the usual requirement of up to 1.5 million litres. This incident underscored the need for adequate water supplies for first responders.
Francois Bouchard, the infrastructure director, mentioned that a seven-metre replacement pipe was in place and a robot had inspected about 80% of the four-kilometre section, crucial for supplying 60% of Calgary's water. Additional tests will be conducted on the pipe’s condition now that it has been drained for repairs.
Residents are urged to reduce water usage, including taking shorter showers and reducing toilet flushes. Outdoor watering, window washing, and fires are banned. The city may impose further restrictions on indoor water use if necessary but aims to avoid impacting residents' livelihoods.
The pipe burst on June 5, marking the eighth day of restrictions. The replacement pipe, large enough for a car to pass through, was installed Tuesday. Welding, flushing, and filling the new section will take several days, followed by testing before reconnecting it to the city's reservoirs.
Bouchard explained the pipe, 49 years old, was well within its expected lifespan of 100 years, and no monitoring indicated imminent failure. Acoustic monitors found no early signs of trouble. Inspecting the pipe would have required shutting it down and digging it up, potentially stressing the system further.
Bylaw officers are focusing on educating residents about water conservation, with 1,250 calls received, leading to 376 warnings, two water-related tickets, and one for a fire violation.
