Overview
- Calgary lifted emergency water restrictions last week after successful tests on the Bearspaw South feeder main, which supplies about 60 per cent of the city’s treated water.
- A third-party report said the city ignored two decades of warnings about the vulnerable pipeline, and the Alberta government has launched an inquiry into municipal infrastructure.
- City officials plan a full replacement of the Bearspaw South feeder main by December 2026, with Mayor Jeromy Farkas estimating costs in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
- Alberta Municipalities urged predictable, long-term provincial and federal funding, citing a Statistics Canada estimate of $42 billion needed for potable water infrastructure versus $4.3 billion spent in 2022.
- Lethbridge reported system redundancy that could maintain service during a transmission break, is conducting risk assessments, and is preparing to twin key pipelines, though some aging pipes share materials with Calgary’s line.