The warmer weather that began Thursday has been welcome news for many Calgarians, but has kept crews busy with an unavoidable reality — water main breaks.
The city has reported 10 main breaks in the last 12 hours or so all across the city; the downtown commercial core, Harvest Hills, Collingwood, Abbeydale Capitol Hill, Coventry Hills, Fairview Industrial, Southwood, Huntington Hills, and Glenbrook are the communities reported to be impacted.
Of the 10 breaks, two have seen water restored, one has a repair in progress, and the rest are under investigation.
At least 30 businesses and 85 homes have been impacted by the breaks.
Calgary had been in a deep freeze for several weeks ahead of the current mid-week warm up.
The city says the longer the temperature stays below freezing, the deeper the frost goes, putting pressure on water main and service pipes. Winter frost depths in Calgary are typically around two to three metres, according to the city. Frozen ground increases the amount of time required to access the water pipes, resulting in a longer time frame to restore water. Pipes are buried around three to four metres deep.
According to the city, under normal circumstances, water main breaks are repaired, and water is back on within 48 hours.
Calgarians are encouraged to stay up-to-date with the latest water main breaks via the city’s website.