Calgary – An independent review panel has warned that Calgary’s water infrastructure is facing deep and systemic challenges, following its investigation into the 2024 failure of the city’s key Bearspaw South feeder main.
The panel’s report, compiled over nine months and led by former ATCO executive Siegfried Kiefer, concludes that urgent action is required to prevent similar failures in the future. The findings are separate from a 600-page city administration report presented to council in December. City council is expected to receive further details during its meeting today.
According to the report, the 2024 pipe break exposed “systemic gaps” in how Calgary’s water utility manages critical infrastructure.
“The panel has traced these gaps to external pressures, risk and asset integrity processes, ineffective management, and a lack of effective governance oversight,” the report stated.
The panel issued several urgent and near-term recommendations, including the continued maintenance of the Bearspaw feeder main and the creation of redundancy in the city’s drinking water supply system.
It also strongly recommended accelerating the duplication of steel water pipes within the next 12 to 14 months, using emergency procurement procedures and leveraging private-sector expertise.
While acknowledging that construction will be complicated by existing roads and residential development, the panel emphasized that safety and innovation must take priority over cost to meet an aggressive timeline.
“The priority must be on safety as well as innovation, rather than cost, in order to achieve timely execution,” the report said.
