Major Water Main Break in Bowness Area

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by V

https://waterfm.com/prestressed-pipe...ient-approach/

That is a very interesting and somewhat alarming read.

[para transit fellow]

almost related topic... the cost of municipal infrastructure
(is this part of why we neglect feedermains?)

Canadian Press: Every new home built requires $100,000 in infrastructure spending: report

https://www.airdriecityview.com/nati...report-9072581

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I'm wearing my dirty underwear skid mark out. Sometimes you have to take one for the team.

Forwards, backwards, inside out forwards, inside out backwards. Come one people, it's for your fellow citizens!

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

Forwards, backwards, inside out forwards, inside out backwards. Come one people, it's for your fellow citizens!

I've switched to adult diapers. It is nice because I don't have to smell the office poopers anymore as I just put on a fresh diaper when I get home.

[powderjunkie]

I've just ditched underwear altogether. Pants are next. I'm sure the officer will appreciate my altruism

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

I've just ditched underwear altogether. Pants are next. I'm sure the officer will appreciate my altruism

Doesn’t that just turn your underwear problem into a pants problem?

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by para transit fellow

almost related topic... the cost of municipal infrastructure
(is this part of why we neglect feedermains?)

No, because development levies charge for it already:

https://www.calgary.ca/content/dam/w...March-2024.pdf


Water is also separate from City services in that it is self-funded from usage fees:

[Nufy]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

Forwards, backwards, inside out forwards, inside out backwards. Come one people, it's for your fellow citizens!

Its the Oilfield way !!!

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

May be tacking another 24 hours onto the fully fixed estimate now...

Also noting that our consumption keeps creeping back up.

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Kind of makes sense though, there's some things people will only hold out so long for. We didn't do laundry for a while but I'm not gonna be putting underwear back on that I worked out in, for example -- had to do a couple loads this week.

Not surprising it's creeping back up, we are selfish. Also not surprising weekend usage was lower but creeps upward during the week. I would not be surprised to see it dip again Saturday even though I doubt it goes back down to where we were last weekend.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I've switched to adult diapers. It is nice because I don't have to smell the office poopers anymore as I just put on a fresh diaper when I get home.

plus you can turn the diapers inside out and backwards too!

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Not surprising it's creeping back up, we are selfish. Also not surprising weekend usage was lower but creeps upward during the week. I would not be surprised to see it dip again Saturday even though I doubt it goes back down to where we were last weekend.

I think Selfish is the wrong word. Complacent would be better.

Also the city through their releases appears to say we can draw about 500 million litres. We were up to 480 from being as low as 440. So this means we have been adding to reserves through this repair outside of Thursday.

[Dentoman]

Originally Posted by GGG

I think Selfish is the wrong word. Complacent would be better.

Also the city through their releases appears to say we can draw about 500 million litres. We were up to 480 from being as low as 440. So this means we have been adding to reserves through this repair outside of Thursday.

The messaging has been terrible around this situation. I thought at one point they had said we could replenish 600 million a day. Like you stated, even at 500 million, we still are adding to reserves. This type of messaging adds to the complacency. The math doesn't add up to the messaging of further conservation efforts required ... should be "Keep doing what you're are doing".
Unless I'm missing something which is entirely possible

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Doesn’t that just turn your underwear problem into a pants problem?

It Depends.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Dentoman

The messaging has been terrible around this situation. I thought at one point they had said we could replenish 600 million a day. Like you stated, even at 500 million, we still are adding to reserves. This type of messaging adds to the complacency. The math doesn't add up to the messaging of further conservation efforts required ... should be "Keep doing what your are doing".
Unless I'm missing something which is entirely possible

I thought the first day was saying we were at 600 million on Thursday and we needed to cut 100 million.

I think the problem with giving specific numbers is that if I hear we are at 420 million / 500 million I’m going to cut less. So this just has complacency set in earlier.

It reminds me of the Covid numbers. Restrictions go in cases drop, as cases drops people have more contacts and the rate of dropping slows.

If people were rational then it would work, but in general we aren’t rational so more information likely means more water use faster and less ability to cut when required.

I don’t know what the correct communication strategy is. My thought would be you do the big push for a cut, then back off on the messaging for a while until it rises back to close to critical, then crank up the messaging again. The goal being to change behaviour but then let people go back to normal slowly and don’t burn out their willingness to care.

[curves2000]

Obviously this is a very serious situation for a major piece of critical infrastructure but it's also becoming apparent that the city may not have the technical expertise, manpower and more to handle something as significant as this in a timely fashion. We will probably be 2-3 weeks out from this occurring before it's all said and done. If this had happened in a less accessible area, underneath a major building for example the Safeway next door etc it would be way worse. If this all happened in the winter during an extreme cold snap, the city and local areas are beyond screwed. We would probably be out of water.

Hopefully lessons are learned by this that can be applied to water mains and other mission critical projects. Years ago when I was in California as a child, I bought a souvenir from the 1994 Earthquake that destroyed the busiest freeway in America I believe (I 10) The city, state and contractors moved heaven and earth and cut an insane amount of red tape to deliver this project in beyond record time.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by curves2000

Obviously this is a very serious situation for a major piece of critical infrastructure but it's also becoming apparent that the city may not have the technical expertise, manpower and more to handle something as significant as this in a timely fashion. We will probably be 2-3 weeks out from this occurring before it's all said and done. If this had happened in a less accessible area, underneath a major building for example the Safeway next door etc it would be way worse. If this all happened in the winter during an extreme cold snap, the city and local areas are beyond screwed. We would probably be out of water.

Hopefully lessons are learned by this that can be applied to water mains and other mission critical projects. Years ago when I was in California as a child, I bought a souvenir from the 1994 Earthquake that destroyed the busiest freeway in America I believe (I 10) The city, state and contractors moved heaven and earth and cut an insane amount of red tape to deliver this project in beyond record time.

So how long should this take? How do you know - without a comparable - that this is taking too long? Is your criteria just, 'I think this should be done faster'?

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by curves2000

Obviously this is a very serious situation for a major piece of critical infrastructure but it's also becoming apparent that the city may not have the technical expertise, manpower and more to handle something as significant as this in a timely fashion. We will probably be 2-3 weeks out from this occurring before it's all said and done. If this had happened in a less accessible area, underneath a major building for example the Safeway next door etc it would be way worse. If this all happened in the winter during an extreme cold snap, the city and local areas are beyond screwed. We would probably be out of water.

Hopefully lessons are learned by this that can be applied to water mains and other mission critical projects. Years ago when I was in California as a child, I bought a souvenir from the 1994 Earthquake that destroyed the busiest freeway in America I believe (I 10) The city, state and contractors moved heaven and earth and cut an insane amount of red tape to deliver this project in beyond record time.

As someone with a lot of experience working with underground utilities I'd say they're actually doing pretty well.

What experience do you have in this area to suggest otherwise?

[jayswin]

Yeah, I'm curious what he could possibly be basing this on.

[Zary's-Mustache]

Not sure if this is true but heard one of the city workers lost their leg or foot in that incident yesterday. Awful if true.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by curves2000

Obviously this is a very serious situation for a major piece of critical infrastructure but it's also becoming apparent that the city may not have the technical expertise, manpower and more to handle something as significant as this in a timely fashion. We will probably be 2-3 weeks out from this occurring before it's all said and done. If this had happened in a less accessible area, underneath a major building for example the Safeway next door etc it would be way worse. If this all happened in the winter during an extreme cold snap, the city and local areas are beyond screwed. We would probably be out of water.

Hopefully lessons are learned by this that can be applied to water mains and other mission critical projects. Years ago when I was in California as a child, I bought a souvenir from the 1994 Earthquake that destroyed the busiest freeway in America I believe (I 10) The city, state and contractors moved heaven and earth and cut an insane amount of red tape to deliver this project in beyond record time.

What is this based on.

They pumped out the system and located the leak on 36hrs or so. They had spare parts in place and crews ready to go. They jumped on the opportunity to do inspections with the line down. This suggests that they have planned for this type of incident.

Also in California the big sur highway has not been a through road in January 2023.