Major Water Main Break in Bowness Area

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Right, ya, that was why I went looknig initially, because the numbers didn't make sense unless Glenmore has an overdrive mode.

These places would have an overdrive mode. You start operating spared equipment, allow for increased chemical consumption, defer maintenance etc. eventually something limits you. But if you nameplate capacity is 400 I’d bet you can push an extra 5% - 10% short term especially with the learnings from last round.

[fotze2]

Our sink is going full blast right now but there are definitely metal straws being used by the 6 teenagers eating here.

My wife is basically pepsifree in wife form. Zero point arguing.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by GGG

These places would have an overdrive mode. You start operating spared equipment, allow for increased chemical consumption, defer maintenance etc. eventually something limits you. But if you nameplate capacity is 400 I’d bet you can push an extra 5% - 10% short term especially with the learnings from last round.

I dunno if anyone else has noticed, but my water definitely had a chlorine boost immediately after the event. Some days it seems stronger/weaker. Makes sense if they are running it hard.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by fotze2

Our sink is going full blast right now but there are definitely metal straws being used by the 6 teenagers eating here.

My wife is basically pepsifree in wife form. Zero point arguing.

Maybe she posts here as PepsiFree and you just caught on?

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Slava

Maybe she posts here as PepsiFree and you just caught on?

In his dreams

[ooogabooga]

Car wash on Richmond road is lined up onto the street. Understand people want to wash the dirt and salt off their cars but still maybe not the best time for it.

[Reggie Dunlop]

For me, it's really just the windshields that need cleaning (reduced visibility at dusk, etc.). That I can do when I gas up. The rest of the car can wait.

[#-3]

The car wash discourse is yet another one where people believe what they want to believe. You get all of these reports that they use 85 % recycled water, and they are not a big problem, but it's still 10-15 gallons for something non essential. There are over a million cars in Calgary, and if they have 1 car wash per week on average you are probably in the realm of 15M+ fresh water gallons per week on car washes, its completely low hanging fruit for reduction and people just don't want to believe it. I have not driven past a car was this week without 8 people in line and I almost don't even bemoan the 5 people with dirty vehicles lined up, but the 3 vehicles in the line that are already clean, those OCD people who just get two or three car washes per week, those people are part of the problem.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by #-3

The car wash discourse is yet another one where people believe what they want to believe. You get all of these reports that they use 85 % recycled water, and they are not a big problem, but it's still 10-15 gallons for something non essential. There are over a million cars in Calgary, and if they have 1 car wash per week on average you are probably in the realm of 15M+ fresh water gallons per week on car washes, its completely low hanging fruit for reduction and people just don't want to believe it. I have not driven past a car was this week without 8 people in line and I almost don't even bemoan the 5 people with dirty vehicles lined up, but the 3 vehicles in the line that are already clean, those OCD people who just get two or three car washes per week, those people are part of the problem.

Yeah basically. I wash the windows with that pseudo-water slop when I gas up, its just going to get filthy again once the melt starts so theres no point in actually washing the thing.

But thats why people DGAF about doing the dishes or laundry or shower lengths. If people are going to wash their cars during a 'water emergency' then I wont wash mine.

But you cant expect people to bend over backwards for the sake of conservation either.

[Fuzz]

Letting yellow mellow is not "bending over backwards". And if I have to do that so a business can still operate, well OK. It's fine. I don't think people should choose to wash their cars currently, but I'm also rational enoguh to realize that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to do my part, too.


I have to assume this is all over Conservative talk radio. Easy business, rage bait.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Letting yellow mellow is not "bending over backwards". And if I have to do that so a business can still operate, well OK. It's fine. I don't think people should choose to wash their cars currently, but I'm also rational enoguh to realize that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to do my part, too.


I have to assume this is all over Conservative talk radio. Easy business, rage bait.

I'd have to take your word for it, I think you're the only one who actually listens to that crap.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Site Update. Jan. 10, 7:00 P.M.

* Progress continued today at the impacted site on 16 Avenue N.W.

* Crews have finished backfilling and are now rebuilding the road above the pipe. Work is also underway on 16 Avenue, with repaving starting tomorrow.

* We’re slowly refilling the feeder main which will take several days as it is seven kilometres of pipe. This water is coming from the Bearspaw Plant and Bow River, not the Glenmore Reservoir, so it doesn’t affect daily usage targets.

* Once the pipe is full, the water will be tested to ensure it’s safe to drink, then the system will be stabilized before we can begin easing out of water restrictions.

* Our focus remains on restoring service as quickly and safely as possible. If all goes according to plan, 16 Avenue is expected to reopen mid to late next week.

* To protect nearby communities if another break occurs, crews are creating openings in the Montgomery Boulevard flood berm and installing temporary barriers along the Bow River Pathway (as shown in drone footage) so any unexpected water can safely flow toward the river reducing impact to homes and businesses.

From Farkas on Reddit. Sounds like if all goes to plan we should be back to normal soon.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by accord1999

There was a June 8, 2024 briefing where they had the manager of Drinking Water Distribution to describe the system at a high level. As powderjunkie reasoned, Bearspaw by default can/already moves water northwards on separate mains. At that time it was still producing 130 megalitres; it could do even more but the NW/North couldn't actually use or store any more water or move it to other areas.

The water pressure zone map show in his presentation can be found here:

https://www.calgary.ca/content/dam/w...e-zone-map.pdf

The North Calgary Water Servicing project should come in handy, allowing for more water to reach the NE from a separate path. The NE is probably the region most affected since it's so far from both Bearspaw and Glenmore.

It'll help, but they also need to consider replacing the small pipe under John Laurie Blvd with a much larger pipe. Currently the small pipe brings water from the NW part of the city to the Charleswood pump station and the North Haven reservoir. But the pipe is so small that not much water flows through it (compared to what's needed).

Think of it like a traffic jam where the rate of cars approaching a bottleneck far exceeds the rate at which they can proceed through the bottleneck. You end up with a maximum rate of cars moving through the bottleneck, no matter how many cars are waiting for a chance to move through.

People in the NW saving water is like adding more cars to the traffic jam - unfortunately, it's not going to result in cars moving faster through the bottleneck.

https://i.redd.it/f66jxzyup25d1.jpeg
(This map is from 2011, but I haven't been able to find a newer one.)

A much larger pipe from Edgemont to Charleswood and then to North Haven would mean a huge increase in the amount of water from Bearspaw that could flow to the rest of the city when the 16 Ave feeder main is unavailable. Right now the NW is teeming with water, but has no way of getting it to the rest of the city fast enough. One would assume that swapping out the pipe for a larger one (or simply adding more beside it) would alleviate this problem, at least in the short and medium term.

IMO, it seems egregious that this hasn't been done already. Is there something I'm missing, or is it simply a case of decades of city councils choosing not to address our poorly planned water system?

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

IMO, it seems egregious that this hasn't been done already. Is there something I'm missing, or is it simply a case of decades of city councils choosing not to address our poorly planned water system?

Having back-ups in place so problems don't occur and things operate smoothly in the background doesn't win elections?

[Fuzz]

We made yellow!

[Amethyst]

We're in the yellow... just like your toilet water should be!

[PaperBagger'14]

Water restrictions are a convenient excuse to take a dump in a coworkers (that you dislike) frequently used toilet and not flush. #### you Adam, enjoy my whole wheat toilet loaf.

[Locke]

All that whining and hand-wringing and Fuzz yelling at clouds and all you needed was to be patient.

Now, all of the loathing and scathing comments from the usual crowd...I assume a general apology to the residents of Calgary is incoming??

[Faust]

How ​‘Strategic Amnesia’ Led To Calgary’s Water Pipe Disasters

https://www.sprawlcalgary.com/bearsp...n-break-report

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Locke

All that whining and hand-wringing and Fuzz yelling at clouds and all you needed was to be patient.

Now, all of the loathing and scathing comments from the usual crowd...I assume a general apology to the residents of Calgary is incoming??

Or maybe messaging generally reached normal people who were unaware they needed to save, and once they got the message they didn't pretend their IQ was 45, they just started cutting back in simple ways?