Wednesday, January 14, 2026
The City of Calgary announced Jan. 14 it has reached a “significant milestone” in the ongoing repair to the Bearspaw Feeder Main.
A City of Calgary release said testing indicates water from the feeder main is safe to drink and the pipe started a return to service on the evening of Jan. 13.
“Starting last night, after confirming water quality test results, we began gradually opening the main valve to reconnect the feeder main to the larger distribution network. Returning the Bearspaw South feeder main to service is a delicate process. We can’t guarantee there won’t be another break during this process, so we are proceeding very carefully,” City of Calgary Infrastructure Services general manager Michael Thompson said.
The first set of pumps were switch on on the morning of Jan. 14 and the system will require 24 hours to stabilize before moving to the next phase Jan. 15 when additional pumps ill be turned on to increase flow through the pipe, the release said.
If everything remains stable, restrictions could be lifted by the weekend,” Thompson said.
Calgary Emergency Management Chief Susan Henry said Calgarians will see an increased presence of City crews and emergency responders in the area around the feeder main as it is returned to service.
“This is a precaution should we experience a problem with the feeder main as it is being refilled,” said Henry. “Over the next few days people in the areas around the feeder main may see other activities as we put this plan into place, like increased presence of Calgary Fire Department, Calgary Police, City work crews, and Utility teams,” Henry said.
Water use has lowered but is currently at 499 million litres, above the target of 485 million litres, the release said.
