Calgary mayor wants wide survey of water lines after catastrophic break

ALBERTA — Calgary’s mayor is promising a wide-ranging examination of the city’s underground infrastructure after a catastrophic water main break that has forced more than two weeks of use restrictions.

Jyoti Gondek says she will be asking council to ensure it has the budget to provide a clear picture of all the city’s water system.

She says she will be “calling in all favours” from the provincial and federal governments to make sure the job gets done.

Since the pipe break on June 5, Calgarians have been asked to reduce their water use by a quarter as repairs are conducted to the main, which carried 60 per cent of the city’s water.

During those repairs, crews found another five spots in the pipe that were nearing failure.

Two workers have also been injured, with one remaining under his doctor’s care and the other back on the job.

Gondek has said the repair work could be done as early as July 5, the opening of the Calgary Stampede

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2024.

Calgarians are being urged to keep reducing their water use as work to repair a major water main stretches into a second day in Calgary on Friday, June 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh