Calgary's not so happy New Year...
Another major water main break in one of Canada's biggest cities, here is why it's happening.
The scenes out of Calgary are crazy. Heaved roads, flooded streets, people being rescued by firefighters in boats because their car became stranded in the ensuing water rush.
None of this is acceptable and what you will find at the bottom of this post is some answers as to why this is happening in Calgary - again.
If you remember back to the summer of 2024, Calgary was dealing with a water main break that caused huge problems in the city. It resulted in water rationing and boil water advisories for parts of the city.
That is exactly what is happening now after the rupture of the same water line that broke 18 months ago. This isn’t a minor issue for Calgary, the Bearspaw south feeder main carries about 60% of the city’s drinking water.
Back in 2024, I spoke to Calgary Herald columnist Don Braid about what was really happening, why it was happening, the major fix required and how this could be happening in a city you live in because of faulty products that were once widely used for infrastructure projects across Canada and North America.
I lived through the 2024 water debacle in Calgary which was due entirely - as you point out in the podcast from that time - to the neglect of the City of Calgary. Now, we are again in this situation on the same water line. Overall, my approach is to say, "To Hell with any suggestions of water restrictions!"
We have a new council, just two months old, now, and they are not responsible for the problems of 2024. How, damned, ever! The damned city hall bureaucracy hasn't been cleaned out and there still is no detailed analysis available to the public about 2024. Quite frankly, unless and until they start lopping off heads, starting with the top bureaucracy, my unwillingness to accept water restrictions will continue.