Calgary’s mayor says city crews are confident they can fix more than a dozen trouble spots along a feeder main in the one month timeline that was set out.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek announced Wednesday thatStage 4 water restrictions will return on Aug. 26 when the Bearspaw South feeder main will be closed for repairs, with the city saying the work should be done on the pipe by Sep. 23.
Gondek was a guest on Now You Know with Rob Snow on Thursday afternoon and discussed the latest repairs that will be needed on the pipe.
“I’ve discussed this with the water team, with the engineers and the infrastructure team, they are quite confident the repairs can be done within that timeframe,” she said.
“However, as we get into the ground and examine the condition of the pipe, or any other situations we did not anticipate, we won’t know for sure.”
The mayor said it wasn’t easy to tell Calgarians that restrictions would be returning later this month after the new problem spots were found along the Bearspaw feeder main. Results from a pipe diver device showed 16 weak points that need to be addressed before the end of September.
“To have to go through this again now, I know it’s a really tough message for people to hear,” she says. “At the end of the day, we will be strengthening our water network.”
She says not many of the city’s underground pipes are similar to the feeder main.
“The vast majority, more than half, are polyethylene, and then there is a lot of steel and cast-iron,” says Gondek. “It’s only a small minority that’s just concrete.”
“In the spring, when we do more maintenance work and potentially put in a liner, we’ll be able to extend its lifespan.”
More work to rehabilitate the feeder main could stretch into next year, but the city needs to act now in time for river water to refill a key reservoir before the winter.
Calgarians ready, resigned for water restrictions to return
Some Calgary residents facing another round of water rationing say they are resigned to their fate, especially when compared with those who lost everything in the recent Jasper wildfires.
“You try and keep everything in perspective,” said Karen York in an interview Thursday.
Karen and Barry York were sitting down for a picnic lunch at Shouldice Park, near where a water main broke on June 5 forcing sweeping water restrictions for Calgary and area residents.
Those restrictions had tapered off and were almost gone until Gondek announced they were being brought back at the end of the month. Stage 4 restrictions for homes and businesses mean a ban on watering lawns or gardens, washing outside surfaces or windows, and more.
“We don’t have pets and we don’t have a garden and we don’t have anything on our balcony plant-wise,” said Karen York.
She said perspective is needed compared with Jasper residents. Wildfires on July 24 destroyed a third of all buildings in the community of 5,000 and the town is yet to reopen
Throughout the duration of the work, the city will be asking residents to limit showers to three minutes, skip flushes when they can, and only wash full loads of dishes and laundry.
“I guess I’ll be back to wearing dirty clothes again,” Pauline Heldt said with a laugh as she watched her grandson play.
“We’re back to less laundry, less washing dishes and less showering again. It’s crazy.”
Businesses will be asked to find ways to cut 25 per cent reduction of their regular daily water usage starting on Aug. 26. The city says no businesses will be asked to close, including car washes.
Indoor pools and hockey arenas will stay open throughout the closure of the pipe, according to the city.
With files from The Canadian Press