Mayor Jeromy Farkas and other city officials warned on Monday that Calgarians need to view water usage differently due to ongoing issues with the Bearspaw South Feeder Main. "Calgarians, yesterday, we lived in a world where water was something that we could take for granted," said Farkas. "Yesterday, water was something that most of us didn't even think about. We turned on the tap, we ran the dishwasher, we took a shower, and we moved on with our day.""Today, that has changed. Today, we are living in a new reality.".In the short term, Tuesday's broken pipe could be fixed by next week, according to Michael Thompson, General Manager of Infastructer Services for the City of Calgary.While many Calgarians may hope to return to normal water usage once the current issue is fixed, Farkas is dampening that expectation."In simple terms, we're transplanting Calgary's beating heart. We're replacing the engine of the aircraft while in mid-flight," Farkas said."But until that work is done, we need to change how we think about water not for a few days, not only during emergencies, for a while, this is how life will be."Tuesday's incident was the second break on the Bearspaw line in under two years, and city officials warn that the issue runs deeper than patching the broken pipe."The pipe is failing because it is breaking down from the inside," Farkas said. "That damage cannot be fixed. It will never be fixed. This pipe cannot be made safe with patches. It has reached the end of its life, and until it is fully replaced, it can fail again without warning."Work is ongoing to determine the cause of last Tuesday's break, but city officials say there were no signs leading up to the incident that would have alerted them to the possibility of an incident. .City council announced in December that it would move forward with a project to replace the line. However, completion of the new line is not expected until 2028. In the meantime, the city has said that ongoing maintenance will be required to keep the current line operational. This includes concrete reinforcement for several segments of the pipe, which Thompson expects to begin by spring. The city warned individuals on Monday that future work will require shutting down the pipe at times in the spring and fall while they identify and perform necessary maintenance. "So again, this is the new reality that Calgarians are living in, Farkas said." "In the fall and in the winter, and maybe next week, maybe next month, maybe next year, this pipe will continue to be brought out of service.""It could be proactively through preventative maintenance. It could be sudden crises, but it is my responsibility as mayor to provide Calgarians that unvarnished truth.".The city reiterated its calls for individuals to conserve water, this time with greater urgency. "It is imperative that Calgarians continue to conserve water so demand does not outstrip supply," said Calgary Emergency Management Agency Chief Susan Henry.On Sunday, the city used 510 million litres of water, a level which officials have called "unstable."According to Henry, this high water usage during a period of short supply poses a risk to emergency services, such as firefighters. A single fire can require 4.5 million litres of water, the same amount used by 26,000 individuals in a day. "I know that this will take effort," Farkas said. "It means changing daily habits, but these changes matter, and when we all do our part, it adds up.".Calgary uses two water treatment plants: the larger Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant and the smaller Glenmore Water Treatment Plant. Tuesday's break has forced the city to rely solely on the Glenmore plant, which is currently operating at three times its usual capacity to keep up with demand. "We are working very hard to keep it running at this capacity, but if there are any mechanical or other issues, it will have a serious impact on our water supply," Thompson said. "We also need to keep enough water in the Glenmore Reservoir to get us through the winter.” .Farkas also informed the public that the independent report on the June 2024 break along the Bearspaw line is expected to be given to the City Council on Tuesday. "This report and it being published in full to the public is absolutely essential to building the public trust and the buy-in that we work together to be able to implement these measures and to be able to respond to the new reality that we're living in," Farkas said. While the report will be made available to council members on Tuesday, it is not expected to be presented to the public until Jan. 13. The city did not provide any updates on construction on 16 Ave. heading into Tuesday.
