Calgary city council to hear preliminary findings into Bearspaw feeder main break on Nov. 26

The nationalist volition perceive for the archetypal clip what investigators judge led to the rupture of a captious enactment successful Calgary’s h2o strategy successful June astatine a metropolis assembly gathering aboriginal this month.

In a quality merchandise sent precocious Friday afternoon, the City of Calgary confirmed preliminary findings from an probe into the Bearspaw feeder main tube volition beryllium presented to metropolis assembly connected Nov. 26.

The probe was overseen by Associated Engineering and Pure Technologies aft sending an inspection instrumentality done the line, and was meant to “understand the factors that led to the deterioration of the feeder main and its nonaccomplishment connected June 5, 2024,” the metropolis said successful release.

According to the city, the preliminary findings bespeak that respective factors whitethorn person contributed to the tube nonaccomplishment including microcracking of the “protective mortar” outer furniture of the pipe, chloride levels successful the ungraded astatine assorted locations on the line, arsenic good arsenic wires snapping owed to “corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement.”

The wires are tightly coiled astir the tube and encased successful concrete, with the pre-stressed wires meant to assistance with structural reinforcement.

“The Bearspaw South Feeder Main is simply a captious portion of infrastructure, and it is responding good to the rehabilitation enactment that was completed betwixt June and November, and is present stabilized,” the city’s Infrastructure Services wide manager Michael Thompson said successful a statement.

“Through our acoustic monitoring, we person recorded lone 2 ligament snaps connected the feeder main betwixt October and November.”

There were 23 ligament snaps passim July and August, according to Thompson.

The rupture of the enactment connected June 5 plunged the metropolis into Stage 4 outdoor watering restrictions for months, arsenic repairs were needed on respective segments of the tube pursuing the archetypal break.

According to the city, preliminary reappraisal recovered the archetypal plan of the tube was “consistent with the due guidelines of the clip and operations of the pipeline were good wrong the plan parameters of the pipe.”

Repairs are inactive ongoing and expected to beryllium implicit aboriginal this period connected 2 further sites on the enactment that don’t necessitate city-wide h2o restrictions due to the fact that of wherever they’re located.

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The archetypal is on Parkdale Boulevard N.W. betwixt 26 Street and 27 Street N.W., and the different is adjacent the Memorial Drive westbound off-ramp connecting to Crowchild Trail.

“The metropolis is presently reviewing options for agelong word rehabilitation of the feeder main and continues with contingency readying by processing an enhanced exigency effect plan, equipping the feeder main with Acoustic Fibre Optic (AFO) monitoring and maintaining a captious parts inventory,” the metropolis said successful its release.

The finalized tube probe volition beryllium presented astatine the Infrastructure and Planning Committee connected Dec. 11.

The City of Calgary is besides conducting a forensic reappraisal into the feeder main break, portion an autarkic 3rd enactment is besides acceptable to motorboat a reappraisal of its ain into the incident.