Engineering regulator launching review of City of Calgary practices following water main break

Work to repair a major water main stretched into a second day in Calgary on Friday, June 7, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

An Alberta-based engineering and geoscience regulator is launching a practice review on the City of Calgary, following a major feeder main break last month.

The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) announced Tuesday it would review the city’s engineering processes and practices under the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act, General Regulation, and APEGA’s practice standards.

It will refer the matter for an investigation if the review indicates unskilled practices or unprofessional conduct contributed to the failure of the water main.

“APEGA’s role is to regulate the practices of engineering and geoscience. This includes reviewing the practices of our permit holders at regular intervals and when incidents, such as this water main break, occur,” said John Corriveau, the deputy registrar and chief regulatory officer of APEGA.

“This ensures all required standards are met to protect the public interest.”

In an emailed statement, the City of Calgary said it welcomes the review and looks forward to working with the APEGA.

“We are aware of the announcement made by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) Council to initiate a practice review of the City of Calgary, with a specific focus into our professional practice and the Bearspaw south feeder main failure,” the city said in the statement.

“As the regulator of engineering and geoscience in Alberta, APEGA routinely reviews the professional practices of permit holders.”

Calgarians have been living with some amount of water restrictions, indoors or out, since the feeder main ruptured in June.

The feeder main, leading from the Bearspaw water treatment facility, initially ruptured on June 5. During the repair process, the city identified five additional “hot spots” that needed repair along the pipe.

While repair work was completed on June 25, city crews have been slowly working to restore Calgary’s water service to full capacity while monitoring for further issues in the pipe.

Since the feeder main was brought back into service earlier this month, it has experienced a total of 10 wire snaps. No new wire snaps were discovered as of Tuesday afternoon and the water system remains stable, according to the city.

That includes three wire snaps on Thursday afternoon and overnight, another on Friday and the latest on Sunday afternoon.

Calgary remains under Stage 1 outdoor water restrictions as the city continues to analyze data received from an electronic “pipe-diver device” deployed to examine the full length of the feeder main.

Calgarians used 626 million litres of water on Monday, down slightly from Sunday’s usage of 649 million litres.

More information about what is and isn't allowed under Stage 1 outdoor water restrictions is available on the City of Calgary website.

APEGA serves as the regulator of engineering and geoscience in Alberta.