New water main break in same NW Calgary area as major rupture last month

Streets were filling with water on Friday afternoon in the same area of northwest Calgary as last month’s major feeder main break.

A new water main break has caused flooding in the Montgomery neighbourhood along Bowness Road near 49 Street NW.

The city says they are aware of the break and say it is not affecting the Bearspaw South feeder main that burst last month, sending the city into a local state of emergency.

“Currently, 14 homes have been affected and 10 businesses have been affected by the service disruption,” reads the city’s webpage on water breaks.

Crews are on site and road closures are in place along Bowness Road. Motorists are being asked to avoid the area.

A water main break floods a part of Bowness Road NW in Calgary on July 19, 2024. Noah Laycock/CityNews

The major rupture along the Bearspaw South feeder main was discovered on June 5 when water started flooding 16 Avenue NW near Home Road — only a couple blocks away from Friday’s break.

Calgarians can finally use a sprinkler or a hose to water their lawns and gardens or fill up their pools, after the city moved to Stage 2 water restrictions on Thursday.

City officials said this week that Calgary’s water infrastructure has held up well as the pressure of flow in the feeder main has slowly increased since Monday. There haven’t been any new wire snaps detected in the feeder main since additional pumps were turned on.

Officials said Friday that Calgary could move to the lowest level of water restrictions early next week.

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