New water main break in same area of ​​northwest Calgary as last month’s major break

Streets were filling with water in the same area of ​​Calgary where the water main break occurred last month, but the city says the new leak is not related to the big break in June.

A new water main break caused flooding in the Montgomery neighborhood along Bowness Road near 49 Street NW on Friday afternoon.

The city says the break is not affecting the nearby water main that ruptured last month, sending the city into a local state of emergency.

“While this break is located near the Bearspaw South feed main, it is not located in the feed main itself and is not affecting the flow of water through the feed main,” the city said in a statement.

“This incident does not impact our ability to meet Calgary’s current water demand, and our water remains safe to drink.”

The new break is in a 10-inch pipe that is not directly connected to the main line. Crews have closed valves to stop flow into the pipe and flood water in the area is being drained.

“Currently, 14 homes have been affected and 10 businesses have been impacted by the service interruption,” reads the city’s website about water outages.

Crews are at the scene and roads have been closed along Bowness Road. Motorists are asked to avoid the area.

The major break along the Bearspaw South feeder main was discovered June 5 when water began flooding 16 Avenue NW near Home Road, just a couple of blocks from Friday’s break.

Calgarians can finally use a sprinkler or hose to water their lawns and gardens or fill their pools, after the city moved to Stage 2 water restrictions Thursday.

City officials said this week that Calgary’s water infrastructure has held up well, with flow pressure in the main feed line slowly increasing since Monday. No new cable breaks have been detected on the main feed line since the additional pumps were put into operation.

Officials said Friday that Calgary could move to the lowest level of water restrictions as early as next week.