Update June 17: Critical water main break affecting city-wide water usage (2024)

CALGARY – Repairs have been completed on the original feeder main break near 16 Avenue N.W. and Home Road, and construction is now under way on the remaining five hotspots at two new construction area locations on 16 Ave.

We are working quickly and safely to get this job done. Heavy equipment is moving through the city or already in place, shovels are in the ground and crews are working around the clock on the repairs.

Due to the hot spots, we sourced additional sections of pipe to support feedermain repairs. Three sections of the pipe are in Calgary being prepped for install and two more sections are enroute from San Diego by truck and set to arrive this week. On Friday we communicated that an additional 3-5 weeks were required to support the repair of the hotspots. This timeline remains, and we are committed to providing an updated construction schedule by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, we want to thank Calgarians once again for continued water conservation over the weekend. You held the line on water consumption, and we exceeded our water reduction target, seeing a decrease of 27 per cent.

We want to remind everyone that although we are still facing water restrictions, ongoing construction work in Montgomery and traffic impacts, Calgary is indeed open for business.

Now more than ever we realize that summer events and festivals are not only important for our economy, but they are also critical to our community and cultural connections. They add vitality and vibrancy to our city and are a destination for visitors who want to experience what our city has to offer.

Important festivals, conferences and events will go ahead, including the Calgary Stampede. We are working with the Stampede and other event organizers to ensure they don’t impact our water use during this critical time. These events will look slightly different this summer, but they will proceed.

“The show will go on, but it will go on in a very responsible manner,” says Calgary Stampede CEO Joel Cowley. “The Calgary Stampede is part of the community and we share the concerns of Calgarians regarding the current situation. At our heart we are an agricultural society and we, along with our contestants and exhibitors who bring their animals here from throughout North America, are part of that community. There are no greater stewards of natural resources – especially water - than those in that community.”

Regarding concerns about water conservation during Stampede, we've reviewed the five-year daily water demand trend during the festival, and there is no significant uptick in demand noted. This is due to two factors – during Stampede we know many Calgarians are travelling elsewhere for their summer vacation. We also know the water use is weather dependent and as we know from past years, early July can bring big storms reducing Calgarians need for outdoor watering.

Tourism is important to Calgary’s economy, whether that’s visitors to the Stampede or any of our other destination events and attractions. Tourism Calgary President and CEO, Alisha Reynolds said summer is a critical time for the tourism industry.

“Calgary is open to visitors and we look forward to welcoming them in a responsible way,” says Reynolds.

“We are asking visitors to come, enjoy our city and live like a local. While you are here, you are one of us. You’re in this with all Calgarians,” says Coby Duerr, Acting Chief of Calgary Emergency Management Agency.