Emergency crews inspect damage on the Trans-Canada Highway on Wednesday after a water main ruptured and flooded streets.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
Kira Dhaliwal was driving to work Tuesday night when she thought she saw the car ahead of her crash. She slammed on her brakes. Then water suddenly gushed past her tires.
She didn’t know it then, but just metres ahead of her and for the second time in less than two years, one of Calgary’s water mains had ruptured. A deluge of water washed over the hoods of vehicles and trapped unsuspecting drivers on the Trans-Canada Highway.
Standing on a hill Wednesday morning overlooking her abandoned car on the cracked road below, Ms. Dhaliwal recalled being stuck.
“I can’t go uphill, I can’t go downhill, I can’t go on the side. I can’t go anywhere,” she said.
“I’m scared, still. I’m scared of water.”
Officials said they became aware of the water main break in Calgary’s Bowness community around 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Firefighters rescued 13 people from eight separate vehicles.
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This is the second catastrophic break along the Bearspaw South Feeder Main after it burst for the first time in June, 2024, triggering a summer-long water supply crisis in Alberta’s largest city and its surrounding communities. The repairs took months to complete.
The crisis placed former Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who lost her bid for re-election this fall, and her administration under intense scrutiny. Fingers were pointed at all levels of government for failing to anticipate, prevent or address the failure of aging infrastructure – an issue that could plague other major Canadian cities.
After the 2024 break, an analysis by The Globe and Mail found that nearly one-quarter of drinking water pipes in Canada’s largest cities were near the end of their useful life, putting pressure on cash-strapped cities to foot potentially enormous bills to fix them.
At a news conference Wednesday, city officials said they cannot say exactly how long it will take to repair the damage until they do a full inspection of the pipe. The water flow has been cut off and the specific location of the rupture has also been identified. If no other issues are discovered, officials estimated repairs could be completed in seven to 10 days.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said ultimately a new line will be required to reduce reliance on the beleaguered section of city pipe.
“Until we completely replace the pipe, this is a ticking time bomb that Calgarians will continue to live with,” he said.
Lax standards more than 50 years ago contributed to Calgary water main break, report says
Mr. Farkas said he has been in touch with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, several cabinet ministers and Calgary MP Corey Hogan, who he said have offered their full support.
After the 2024 break, 29 segments of the 11-kilometre long pipe – one of two water mains that deliver most of Calgary’s drinking water – were repaired. The nearly two-metre wide pipe was installed in 1975.
A fibre optic acoustic monitoring system, which can detect breaks and vibrations in real time, was installed along the Bearspaw South Feeder Main after the rupture in 2024. City officials said the system was working normally at the time of Tuesday’s failure, but there was no early warning of the eventual break.
Roughly 3,100 homes are now under a boil water advisory, according to Sue Henry, chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency.
“I want to take a moment to recognize that this event, given our recent history, may cause stress for a lot of Calgarians,” said Ms. Henry.
“While we do not have all of the answers today, our teams are working around the clock to protect Calgarians, to protect our water system, to keep it safe and flowing, and to restore services as quickly as we can.”
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A drop in pressure was the first indication of a significant break, explained Nancy Mackay, director of water services.
Abandoned vehicles, some of which had collided into each other, remained on the icy stretch of 16 Avenue Wednesday morning. The road looked like an earthquake had shaken it, with large asphalt slabs rippled and cracked across the three traffic lanes. By early afternoon, excavators had begun pulling up the damaged highway.
James Docherty, an acting deputy chief with the Calgary Fire Department, said conditions had “rapidly deteriorated” by the time crews arrived, and vehicles became quickly trapped in flash flood-like conditions.
“It was a magnitude of water that was flowing, enough water that it was pushing vehicles and keeping occupants pinned from opening the doors,” said Mr. Docherty, adding some people escaped to their roofs.
The department’s aquatic rescue team was on scene as fast currents and debris made the situation extremely dangerous. A rapid deployment craft, described by Mr. Docherty as an inflated catamaran, was used to rescue people trapped in their vehicles. The rescue operation took about 40 minutes.
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“It was an event that could have turned tragic very, very fast, but I think with the swift execution of our crews, we yielded the best outcome,” he said.
Josh Podulsky, who was rescued by firefighters, said he heard a “boom” and saw a surge of water go airborne as he was driving on the highway Tuesday evening. He punched his brakes but water rapidly flooded over his windshield, trapping him inside.
Mr. Podulsky said two cars were swept backward while trying to turn into another lane. “I saw that and I just pulled the parking brake,” he said.
The 22-year-old freestyle halfpipe skier had to abandon his skis in his flooded car. On Wednesday morning, wearing ski boots, snow pants, goggles and his numbered competition bib, he salvaged his skis on his way to compete in the Ski Halfpipe World Cup at nearby Calgary Olympic Park.
“I’m kind of more stoked that no one got hurt and I didn’t get soaking wet,” he said.
Editor’s note: Based on information provided to media by the City of Calgary, a previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the pipe burst because of a rapid drop in pressure. A drop in pressure was the first indication of a significant break.