Third-party agency to investigate Calgary water main break, city says
Calgarians remain under water restrictions as repairs to a critical feeder line along 16th Avenue N.W. continue.
City officials announced a crackdown on violators, with significant penalties for those flouting the rules.
The Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) has taken more than 2,048 calls from Calgarians concerned others were breaking the rules.
As a result, 560 written warnings and 709 verbal warnings have been issued.
Only two tickets have been written so far.
However, CEMA acting chief Coby Duerr says the grace period is over.
"Going forward, unless there are mitigating circumstances, the direction to our peace officers is to proceed with ticketing," said Duerr, who reminded Calgarians the fine for violating water restrictions is a specified penalty of $3,000.
"With ongoing updates, media attention to this situation and the number of warnings given to date, it would be very difficult to believe that someone is still unaware.
"They can't claim ignorance if their sprinklers are running, their pool is filling or they're washing something outdoors on their property."
- Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News, right at your fingertips
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
The restrictions apply to all of Calgary, including communities in the northwest whose reservoirs are still being filled by water from the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant.
Their water supply is ultimately redistributed through smaller lines to balance the load across the city in communities that cannot access water from the Bearspaw plant.
Two much-needed replacement pipe segments departed San Diego County on Monday.
Martin Coghill, San Diego County Water Authority's asset manager, says a former colleague now working in Calgary reached out to see if the California county could help.
"Thankfully, we're able to release two of these pipes to the City of Calgary, who need it more than we do," Coghill said.
"I can only imagine what they are going through."
The pipes, signed with well-wishes from county water crews, are expected to arrive in Calgary on Tuesday night.
However, Michael Thompson of the City of Calgary's infrastructure services department cautioned installation won't be immediate.
"The preparation will take some time," Thompson said.
"We have to sandblast them and epoxy them prior to installation."
Some Calgary residents have taken to social media to question why the city needed to source sections of the pipe from San Diego when Alberta is home to some of North America's top oilfield pipeline supply companies.
The city says they contacted multiple energy industry players, but none had the specific large-diameter pipe rated for transporting potable water.
It says it would have taken longer to source the pipe and upgrade it to the required specifications.
At the same time, the City of Calgary has launched a third-party review of the break.
David Duckworth, Calgary's chief administrative officer, says it will investigate the cause of the pipe failure and why it wasn't discovered before a catastrophic failure of the line.
"The review will be guided by an expert panel from academia, the water industry, water utilities management engineering and government entities focused on infrastructure and resilience," Duckworth said.
(With files from Bill Macfarlane and Michael Franklin)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Rescuers race to free people trapped by Hurricane Helene after storm kills at least 40 in 4 states
Hurricane Helene left an enormous path of destruction across Florida and the entire southeastern U.S. on Friday, killing at least 40 people in four states, snapping towering oaks like twigs, tearing apart homes and sending rescue crews on desperate missions to save people from floodwaters.
U.S. fines Air Canada over flights over prohibited Iraqi airspace
The U.S. Department of Transportation said Friday it had fined Air Canada US$250,000 for operating flights in 2022 and 2023 in prohibited Iraqi airspace.
Ship, extra CAF members deployed near Lebanon in case of evacuation needs: defence minister
Defence Minister Bill Blair says there is a ship in place near Lebanon, as well as 150 deployed additional Canadian Armed Forces members prepared for a military-assisted departure of stranded Canadians, if more violence in the region requires it.
DEVELOPING Israeli airstrikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut after another strike destroyed buildings
The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut on Friday in a series of massive explosions that targeted the leader of the militant group and levelled multiple high-rise apartment buildings.
Killer who stabbed victim 'at least 52 times' dies in B.C. prison
A 72-year-old inmate serving a life sentence for a brutal murder that happened in Chilliwack in 2016 has died, according to the Correctional Service of Canada.
P.E.I. shellfish festival gastrointestinal illness outbreak largest in province's history: health officer
More than 550 symptomatic people responded to an online questionnaire about a gastrointestinal illness at a Prince Edward Island shellfish festival last weekend.
Former military reservist sentenced for shotgun video calling Liberal MP a 'communist agent' for China
A former Canadian military reservist has been sentenced to house arrest after posting a video of himself firing a shotgun at a picture of a member of Parliament whom he accused of being a "communist agent" for China.
Canada booking seats on flights out of Lebanon as violence escalates
Global Affairs Canada began booking blocks of seats on the few remaining commercial flights leaving Lebanon on Friday as it issued another urgent plea for any Canadians in the country to leave immediately.
Family of man who died in incident involving Calgary police issues statement
The family of Jon Wells, a man who died in an incident involving Calgary police earlier this month, say they are seeking time to grieve their loss.