Alberta government to review Calgary's water main infrastructure

Alberta's Minister of Municipal Affairs, Dan Williams, informed the City of Calgary on Wednesday that the Government of Alberta will conduct a review of the city's watermain infrastructure in light of recent break. "I recognize the city has taken several commendable steps to review the circumstances leading to the 2024 water main break including the pipe investigation, the APEGA practice review, and the independent review which was recently released," reads a letter from Williams to Mayor Jeromy Farkas. "However, I believe residents of Calgary and neighbouring municipalities that depend on the city for water services, have valid concerns that such an incident may recur." .Williams told Farkas that he recognizes the work he and other local officials are doing to address the issue and restore Calgary's water supply to full capacity.However, he also expressed concern about municipal services in the city and a lack of trust among some Calgarians in the city's ability to maintain essential services.Given those concerns, Williams is acting on his obligation, as Minister of Municipal Affairs, to protect Albertans' public interest and ensure good governance, even though responsibility for water typically rests with municipal governments."It is on this basis that the Government of Alberta will be reviewing the matter," Williams wrote. The review will cover documents related to watermain infrastructure and asset management practices, with special attention to those that could impact the Bearspaw South Feeder Main.Documents will be reviewed, dating back to the McKnight Feeder Main break in 2004, and will cover the period up to the present.Williams has given the City of Calgary until Jan. 27 to provide those documents..The City's water infrastructure has been under heavy scrutiny following the Dec. 30 break on the Bearspaw line, the second such break in under two years. An independent report on the June 2024 Bearspaw rupture, released on Jan. 7, revealed significant errors in the city's water infrastructure. "We have to fix the pipe, and until we completely replace the pipe, this is a ticking time bomb that Calgarians will continue to live with," said Farkas on Dec. 31. The city approved the construction of a replacement pipe on Dec. 16, but completion is not expected until 2028.

Alberta government to review Calgary's water main infrastructure

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