Calgary crews are hard at work on the five hot spots along their water main feeder, stated Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek in an afternoon update on June 19. The hot spots have been excavated and cutting of the pipe has begun.
Calgary officials said they are now aiming for the low end of the original timeline of three to five weeks of work, which would be July 5. Following the completion of the repair, crews must flush and test the pipes.
Gondek reiterated that there are three hot spots where existing parts were in supply and two additional parts arrived last night. Those are being prepared now in local shops. Many other parts are being fabricated locally, Gondek added.
Once repairs are done, they will be able to restore road networks. Some of the water supply had to be rerouted by moving pumps and changing direction of flow to increase capacity. All of this will have to be reset and Gondek assured the public they would be updated on a timeline.
Returning to a normal water state will be a staged approach, stated Gondek. In the meantime, Airdrie will remain under a level four outdoor water restriction.
On a positive note, water use remained on target to save water yesterday.
More positive news was released about the two workers who were injured while welding the initial feeder break last week. Both workers have been released from the hospital and one has already returned to work.
The City of Calgary will be repurposing chlorinated water from pools for municipal use such as construction and washing bridge decks. City officials reported on crews being harassed by the public when conducting flushing services and regulatory work.
