Calgary officials have announced plans to begin easing water use restrictions by early next week, following the recent replacement of a failed section of the Bearspaw South Feeder Main. Michael Thompson, the city’s general manager of infrastructure services, confirmed that the repair process is underway, with efforts focused on pumping enough water to fill approximately nine Olympic-sized swimming pools. Once this is complete, the water will be subjected to quality testing.
Thompson explained that a total of seven kilometres of the pipe had to be emptied, and the refilling process requires around 22 million litres of water. While there is optimism regarding the easing of water conservation measures, officials remain cautious as there is no guarantee that additional breaks will not occur before these restrictions are lifted.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas emphasized the importance of ongoing water conservation efforts, stating, “Keep saving water for just a few more days. We’re not out of the woods yet.” He described the current phase of the repair process as potentially the most critical and risky moment.
Looking ahead, officials have indicated that further reinforcement of the pipe will be necessary in the spring, which means that additional water use restrictions will be implemented at that time. Thompson indicated that this work has been scheduled for spring since snowmelt will be more readily available to fill reservoirs.
Neither Farkas nor Thompson provided specific details regarding the upcoming restrictions. Since December 30, 2025, authorities have urged Calgary’s approximately 1.6 million residents to conserve water after the Bearspaw South Feeder Main burst for the second time in about 18 months. This incident has been particularly troubling, as it supplies 60% of the city’s treated water. The previous rupture, which occurred in the summer of 2024, led to prolonged water restrictions and even the declaration of a state of emergency.
According to the city’s water-use dashboard, Calgarians have significantly exceeded the daily threshold of 485 million litres required to ensure enough water is available for emergency services amid the ongoing challenges with the water main. Notably, on the day preceding the announcement, residents used 504 million litres of water.
Sue Henry, chief of Calgary’s Emergency Management Agency, reiterated the need for ongoing conservation, asking residents to save between 25 to 30 litres of water per person each day. She recommended practical conservation measures such as flushing toilets less frequently, taking shorter showers, and running dishwashers or laundry only when full to help reduce overall consumption.
As the new pipe continues to be filled, the public may experience temporary variations in water pressure, a strong chlorine scent, or possibly cloudy water. Thompson reassured residents, stating, “I want to assure anyone seeing this in their water that these changes are all normal and should pass within a couple of days of regular water use. The water is safe to drink.”
Mayor Farkas acknowledged the frustration some residents may be feeling as the repairs continue. “But I want Calgarians to know that we are moving at lightning speed to get this pipe back online and to build a generational replacement that will solve this problem once and for all,” he concluded.
