Calgary's Bearspaw South Feeder Main hits 95 per cent as Stage 4 restrictions near

Calgary's Bearspaw South Feeder Main Replacement Project is about 95 per cent installed across stages A and B, and the city will begin connecting the new pipe to the existing water system on Nov. 4, the City of Calgary said in a release dated Oct. 28.¹

That connection work means the existing feeder main must be shut down for approximately four weeks, so city-wide Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions and voluntary indoor water conservation will be required starting Nov. 4 for about the same period.¹

"We are not out of the woods yet, but we are getting very close," said Michael Thompson, chief operating officer for the Water Utility.¹

On November 4 we will start work to connect the new pipe to our water system, keeping us on track to have the new pipe in service by the end of the year.¹Michael Thompson, chief operating officer for the Water Utility, City of Calgary

The city said the tie-in construction will take place in November and December at three locations: 33 and 34 Avenues N.W. and 83 Street N.W.; 33 Avenue N.W. and 89 Street N.W.; and the Shaganappi Pump Station, near Edworthy Park.¹

The work will bring significant traffic impacts, including intersection and lane closures, detours, and sidewalk and bicycle lane closures, with some locations requiring 24-hour construction, the city said.¹

Stage A construction began in January and used microtunnelling, a technique that bores a tunnel underground, to complete about 3.7 kilometres of tunnelling. Installation of the concrete carrier pipe and the new steel feeder main between the Shaganappi Pump Station and 73 Street N.W. was completed in September, and crews have now finished grouting the space between the carrier pipe and the steel main.¹

Stage B open-cut construction along 34 Avenue N.W. in Bowness began in June and remains on schedule, with more than 90 per cent of the new feeder main installed between 89 Street N.W. and 73 Street N.W. Crews are restoring roadways, sidewalks and property access, and landscaping restoration will continue through the fall, weather permitting, with any remaining work to be completed in spring 2027.¹

Separately, the city said repairs on a different section of the feeder main along Parkdale Boulevard N.W., between the Shaganappi Pump Station and the Memorial Pump Station, begin Oct. 29. Assessments show that pipe remains in good overall condition but needs proactive repairs at six locations, with a dedicated crew at each site and lane closures and detours in place.¹

While the feeder main is shut down, the city is asking Calgarians to prepare by not watering outdoors, flushing only when needed, running dishwashers and washing machines with full loads and taking showers of three minutes or less.¹