Calgary mayor says risk of more water main breaks ‘new reality’ until line replaced
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CALGARY – The City of Calgary expects to fix a broken water main by early next week, but the mayor says the pipe is fatally flawed and citizens should prepare for future ruptures until it’s fully replaced.
Jeromy Farkas says while the Bearspaw South Feeder Main is being fixed, there’s no guarantee it won’t fail again.
“This beating heart of Calgary’s water system is sick, it’s dying, it is terminally ill,” Farkas told reporters Monday.
“It could break again tomorrow, it could break again next week, it can break again next month.”
Farkas said that risk is Calgary’s “new reality” until the line is replaced, which he says is being done as quickly as possible.
“That will solve this once and for all for the next century for Calgary.”
He said the existing pipe will require near constant maintenance and monitoring until its replacement is finished, which means Calgarians should expect further water restrictions over the next two years.
Michael Thompson, the city’s general manager of infrastructure services, said it’s currently unclear if permanent or long-term water restrictions are necessary.
“We don’t have all those answers for you right now,” Thompson said at a Monday news conference alongside the mayor.
He added that it’s “likely” the current restrictions, such as residents being asked to take short showers or avoid flushing toilets until necessary, will be lifted when the water main is fixed.
The line, which carries 60 per cent of the city’s treatable water, failed last week for the second time in less than two years, forcing the city to ask residents to reduce their water usage.
Calgary’s Emergency Management Agency chief, Sue Henry, said Monday that Calgarians are still using too much water, putting pressure on reserves and risking resources for firefighting.
She said Calgary’s combined water use pushed 510 million litres on Sunday, about 25 million litres more than what’s sustainable.
“It is imperative that Calgarians continue to conserve water so demand does not outstrip supply,” she said.
“Your savings will ensure there’s enough water for critical activities like firefighting.”
Thompson said the pipe will be shut down again in the spring and the fall for reinforcement work and further inspections.
The last rupture of the feeder main in the summer of 2024 prompted months of water restrictions, advisories and a state of emergency.
The line was slated to be replaced by 2028, but Thompson said the city’s doing what it can to expedite the project.
On Sunday, the city lifted boil-water advisories covering close to 3,000 people in neighbourhoods near the site of last week’s water main break.
The city says testing, done in collaboration with Alberta Health Services and Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, confirms the water in the communities is now safe for use.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2026.