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CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Review finds no evidence of 'unprofessional conduct' in Calgary water main break
Social Sharing As the one-year anniversary of last June's catastrophic water main break approaches, an independent review of the incident suggests that there was no wrongdoing by the City of Calgary's engineering or geoscience services. The findings of a new report by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) suggest that the pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) failure experienced by the Bearspaw south feeder main is consistent with incidents across North America. "PCCP manufacturing standards were relaxed from the late 1960s to the early 1970s by the American Water Works Association, resulting in a high rate of premature failures, and standards have since been strengthened," reads a release by APEGA. WATCH | Pipe material to blame for rupture: Independent engineering report says city's response to water main rupture met professional standards 1 hour ago Duration 1:43 The report found "no indications of unskilled practice or unprofessional conduct." Had such evidence been found, APEGA would have launched a formal investigation. Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek told CBC News that she's pleased with the findings of the independent review. "I think that's the kind of reassurance that Calgarians are seeking, that this incident was managed in a professional manner," she said. The Bearspaw south feeder main, Calgary's largest water feeder main and the pipe that transfers the majority of the city's treated water, ruptured on June 5, 2024. Since then, the water main has undergone significant repairs, while the incident prompted the City of Calgary to add water distribution infrastructure failure to its list of high-risk emergency scenarios. The independent report's findings are consistent with the results of a review commissioned by the city in 2024. Last year's forensic investigation, led by Associated Engineering, cited microcracking along the protective mortar outer layer of the pipe, high chloride levels in the soil at various locations, and snapped wires following corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement as factors that contributed to the failure of the feeder main, though no singular factor could be identified as the primary cause of the rupture. Rupture was 'hard to predict' Kerry Black, a civil engineering professor at the University of Calgary, said it's important for people to understand that the factors behind the rupture "are hard to predict," even by experts. "They really did have a robust maintenance and prevention plan in place at the time of the rupture," she said. "Certainly we've seen other municipalities looking to the City of Calgary as a model, as an example of how you can do monitoring and prevention well, but that even when you do, things can go wrong." The city is responsible for 16,000 kilometres of waste, storm and drinking water pipes, according to its own figures. "There's a reality that monitoring and maintaining all of those kilometres of pipes is difficult," said Black. While she believes Calgary has "a good plan in place," she said the city could do a better job of communicating its water infrastructure work, and the costs associated with that, to Calgarians. "I know it's something that nobody really wants to hear about, but there's a reality: infrastructure costs money," she said. "For me, [it's] that long-term planning of how are we getting everyday Calgarians to understand how costly it is to provide the infrastructure that we all rely on so much, and are we willing to help shepherd a path forward to acknowledging that?" Gondek said that she and the city's infrastructure services general manager Michael Thompson will present "a detailed summary" next week, highlighting what's been done by the city since last year's incident.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Engineering review of Calgary's 2024 feeder main break finds no concerns with city practices
Work to repair a major water main in Calgary on Friday, June 7, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh) An independent review of Calgary's critical feeder main break last year found the city's engineering practices were sound. The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) launched a review following the rupture of the Bearspaw South water main in June 2024. The APEGA said the City of Calgary had 'sound engineering oversight and the appropriate risk-based management in place' in relation to the water main. It also found the city was in compliance with engineering bylaws and practice standards. 'No indications of unskilled practice or unprofessional conduct were found during the practice review,' the APEGA said in a Wednesday news release. The association said the failure of the water main, a prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP), is consistent with other failures of similar pipes around North America. 'At the time of installation, in 1974, the feeder main was reportedly expected to have a 100-year service life,' the AEPGA said. 'However, PCCP manufacturing standards were relaxed from the late 1960s to the early 1970s by the American Water Works Association, resulting in a high rate of premature failures, and standards have since been strengthened.' The report added that preventing a pipe rupture cannot be assured, even with monitoring and predictive technologies in place. Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek thanked the APEGA for their independent review and credited city staff and engineers for their work during the break, in a statement Wednesday. 'The city has already implemented improved monitoring and is focused on proactive maintenance of our most vulnerable infrastructure,' Gondek said. 'But this event is also a clear reminder that sustained investment in our water systems is not optional. It's essential to public safety, economic stability, and Calgary's future growth.' The City of Calgary finalized its own report on the June 5, 2024, water main break in December 2024. The report, prepared by Associated Engineering, said design and operations of the feeder main did not contribute to its failure, but 'several failure mechanisms' and 'soil conditions' did. The city was aiming to release its plan to strengthen Calgary's water infrastructure by the middle of 2025. The mayor said she will be providing a comprehensive update on the city's response, improvements and future infrastructure strategy. The break flooded a section of northwest Calgary, leading to a local state of emergency. Water restrictions were put into effect for all Calgarians, including residents in surrounding communities that relied on water produced at the Bearspaw treatment plant. The restrictions were lifted in the fall and all repairs to the feeder main were wrapped up in late 2024. With files from Michael Franklin and Alesia Fieldberg
