What the city learned from Calgary's feeder main break — and how it's moving forward

Karina Zapata · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 29, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Nearly a twelvemonth aft Calgary's largest h2o feeder main ruptured, the metropolis has compiled a database of what it did close successful its response and what needs to beryllium improved successful the lawsuit of different ample emergency.

The study connected lessons learned, which gives an overview of the city's effect to the catastrophic Bearspaw southbound feeder main break, is acceptable to beryllium presented to metropolis assembly today.

When the h2o main broke connected June 5, it prompted a section authorities of emergency, jeopardized the city's potable h2o proviso and led to assorted levels of h2o restrictions for Calgary and surrounding communities for months afterward.

The city's recently released study says the situation "threatened the beingness of Calgarians, captious customers (like hospitals) and neighbouring communities."

City medication produced the study aft it conducted surveys and spoke with those who staffed 2 city-run agencies: the exigency operations centre and the h2o tactical operations centre.

The metropolis calls the incidental "one of the astir important and analyzable captious infrastructure exigency events" it has ever experienced, which took a toll connected the much than 700 metropolis unit who were called connected to help.

The flexibility and competency of unit members who worked agelong shifts to support operations moving 24/7 — particularly astatine the h2o tactical operations centre — is touted arsenic 1 of the city's 9 strengths identified successful the report.

However, the tube nonaccomplishment required "highly specialized expertise" successful immoderate positions, forcing the metropolis to trust connected a tiny fig of unit during the emergency.

The study said the metropolis should prosecute much unit with expertise, and make a program for erstwhile further unit are needed to code a crisis.

Better clarity astir roles and responsibilities is besides needed, said the report.

Public communication

Other strengths listed successful the study see effectual collaboration and nationalist connection — adjacent though determination was plentifulness of disorder among Calgarians erstwhile the tube archetypal broke.

"In the archetypal hours of the feeder main break, incomplete accusation was disposable to supply to the nationalist that would clarify the grade of the emergency. Although determination was nationalist confusion, the usage of aggregate channels to pass to the nationalist was a occurrence successful changing the public's h2o depletion behaviour," said the report.

Still, the metropolis could person done a amended occupation of helping the nationalist recognize the uncertainty and analyzable quality of the break, according to the document.

"As the lawsuit progressed and the impacts became apparent, messaging needed to change; this negatively impacted the nationalist spot of citizens who felt much accusation should person been given," reads the report.

Strengthening exigency response

Using lessons learned from the feeder main break, the metropolis is tackling 4 initiatives to bolster its exigency response.

The metropolis is besides moving connected updating Calgary's municipal exigency program to marque immoderate roles and responsibilities much clear, and it's expanding its situation communications team, said the report.

It's besides creating much information and wellness initiatives disposable to unit members before, during and aft exigency events.

An autarkic reappraisal of the Bearspaw southbound feeder main failure, led by erstwhile businessman Siegfried Kiefer, is inactive ongoing.