Another ‘catastrophic’ water main break prompts usage limits for Calgary region

It happened near Sarcee Trail and the 16 Avenue Northwest/Trans Canada Highway interchange, close the Bowness community in northwest Calgary.

Director of city water services Nancy Mackay said Tuesday night’s incident involves the Bearspaw South Feeder Main.

“This is a catastrophic break along the same feeder main that broke in June 2024, on which we made a series of repairs,” she said Wednesday.

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Major water main break traps people in vehicles

The city says about 2,000 homes and 100 businesses have been impacted.

“It is extremely frustrating to see this happen to our city again,” Calgary Mayor Jeremy Farkas said on Wednesday, adding that city council was taking action on this, given the previous line break last year.

He said that the “immediate, emergency situation” has been stabilized, but council is going to work to fix the line that has now broken twice.

“We are much more prepared this time around, but you can rest assured none of my council colleagues ran on being satisfied with the status quo,” Farkas said.

“We have to fix the pipe and until we completely replace the pipe, this is a ticking time bomb that governments will continue to live with.”

Water pours from a ruptured main on Dec. 31, 2025 in Calgary.

During a news conference, Mackay said Calgarians, as well as people in Strathmore, Airdrie, Chestermere and Tsuutʼina Nation will need to adjust their habits to help in conserving water.

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This includes limiting showers to three minutes, flushing toilets only when necessary, and only running dishwashers and washing machines when they’re full.

“They sound like small things, they make a huge difference for us during this time.”

YMCA Calgary said in a news release on Wednesday that any Calgarians who have had their household water fully shut off due to the water main break can access their shower facilities for free.

Officials said on Wednesday the water to the affected area had been shut off overnight and while the highway is closed in the area, they have since stopped the water flow and located the specific break.

Mackay said the pipe burst when a rapid drop in pressure occurred.

The Calgary Fire Department rescued 13 people from their vehicles on Highway 1 and seven vehicles were trapped in the water as a result of the flooding. Nobody was injured.

As a result of the break, Farkas announced late Tuesday a boil water order was issued for the neighbourhoods of Montgomery, Parkdale and Point McKay.

Under the order, water used for bathing or laundering does not need to be boiled — but, if using it for drinking, brushing teeth, cleaning raw food, making ice, or preparing infant formula or juices, tap water must be brought to a rolling boil for one full minute prior to use.

The city also activated its Stage 4 water restrictions for outdoor water use such as rinks, snow-making or other large outdoor water usage.

Indoor facilities such as pools, rinks and recreation facilities have also been advised to implement their water reduction plans.

Chris Graham, an infrastructure official with the city, was also questioned about the previous incident involving the Bearspaw South Feeder Main and if, given the situation last year, the pipe had been monitored.

He said the pipe was being monitored “continuously” and that the system was working normally when it failed.

“There was no wire snaps or any evidence before the failure, but the system was being fully monitored,” he said.

“There’s nothing in the monitoring or the operation of the pipe, the flows, the pressures that would have indicated an issue before the pressure dropped.”

City officials could not say exactly how long the limits on water would last, or how long the boil water orders will stay in place, but the restrictions will be lifted as soon as possible.

Farkas, however, added that despite the issues New Year’s Eve plans are not cancelled, but any events will proceed “in a way that recognizes the constraints that Calgarians exist in right now.”

—with files from Karen Bartko and Adam MacVicar, Global News

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