Boil-water advisories affecting about 3,000 residents of Parkdale, Montgomery, Point McKay and West Hillhurst were lifted on Jan. 4, 2026, after testing confirmed the water was safe. The advisories followed the Dec. 30 rupture of Calgary’s Bearspaw South Feeder Main, though citywide conservation remained in force.
Safe to drink again in four neighbourhoods
The advisories had been in place since Dec. 30, when the Bearspaw South Feeder Main ruptured near the 16 Avenue N.W. and Sarcee Trail interchange, flooding the roadway so badly that firefighters had to rescue 13 people from vehicles caught in the rushing water.
Testing done in collaboration with Alberta Health Services and Alberta Environment and Protected Areas confirmed the water in the four communities met health and quality standards, the city said, and the advisory was lifted late Sunday. Residents who had not turned on their taps in the previous 24 hours were told to flush their home water systems before using the water.
The break knocked out the pipe that supplies 60 per cent of the treated water for the city of 1.6 million people. With the larger Bearspaw plant’s main out of service, only the smaller Glenmore Treatment Plant was serving the water needs of all Calgarians.
Conservation still the order of the day
Lifting the advisory did not end the emergency. The city continued to urge Calgarians to conserve water so demand would not outstrip the reduced supply — and on Saturday, water use had crept up to 495 million litres, above the city’s goal of 485 million litres.
“The first Monday of 2026 is expected to mark a return to work and school for many Calgarians. We’re continuing to remind everyone to adjust their water use habits and help conserve our water system,” Calgary Emergency Management Agency Chief Susan Henry said in a news release.
“Calgary’s water system is under significant strain,” Henry said. “If we experience an unexpected event our current consumption levels leave little room to respond.”
The city’s advice was simple: limit showers to under three minutes, flush toilets only when necessary, and run dishwashers and laundry machines only with full loads.
Repair crews move to removing the broken pipe
Crews had removed the water from the site along 16 Avenue N.W. and excavated the damaged section, the city said, and were moving into the pipe removal phase of the repair, which was expected to begin Sunday. Repairs were estimated to be complete by mid-January.
Traffic had partially reopened: a single eastbound lane on 16 Avenue N.W. east of Sarcee Trail was back in use, as was access to eastbound 16 Avenue from Sarcee. Westbound traffic along 16 Avenue between 49 Street and Sarcee Trail remained closed.
Second failure in 18 months
It is the second time within a year and a half that a section of the Bearspaw South Feeder Main has burst. The previous rupture, in the summer of 2024, prompted months of water restrictions and advisories and the invocation of a state of emergency — a history that explains why officials moved quickly to hold demand down this time, and why the state of the aging feeder main had already become a political issue at city hall.
In the event, the repair finished on the city’s timeline: all water restrictions were lifted on Jan. 16, once the feeder main was back in service and the system had stabilized.
