Bowness and Montgomery residents supportive but fatigued by Bearspaw repairs
CBC
Weeks before a new round of water restrictions are scheduled in Calgary, some residents of neighbourhoods hit hard by pipe breaks over the last two years are looking for clearer communication and more support from the city.
The city plans to reintroduce water restrictions across the city beginning March 9 for around four weeks until early April, it said on Friday. The restrictions call for no outdoor water use and recommends indoor water conservation measures as well.
The restrictions are needed because the Bearspaw south feeder main — a pipe key to Calgary's water supply — is being shut down to reinforce up to nine particularly deteriorated segments. The Bearspaw has suffered catastrophic failures twice since 2024, resulting in significant flooding each time in northwest Calgary.
All of Calgary will be affected by the pipe’s shutdown, but businesses in Bowness and Montgomery, near where the pipe’s catastrophic failures have occurred, have felt the brunt of flooding and water restrictions in the past two years.
Sahoud Abbasi, owner of the restaurant Pizza Bae in the city's northwest Montgomery neighbourhood, is supportive of the city's repairs.
But he noted the water main breaks and flooding have made it difficult to keep his restaurant afloat since it opened in November.
“I don’t know how we’re going to survive. Our livelihood is not looking safe here in Calgary," said Abbasi.
The latest hit to his business came from a smaller water main break nearby on Bowness Road, called in to the city on Friday. Water service was turned off the next day for more than eight hours while repairs were made to the pipe, affecting 21 businesses.
“It was a surprise, but I’m not surprised anymore. It keeps coming back. It’s not going to leave us alone until this is fully repaired," Abbasi said.
It's not just new businesses in the area feeling the strain of Calgary's water issues.
Kelly Van Spankeren works at Bon A-Pet-Treat! bakery, which has been open in Bowness for 20 years. She's understanding of how important the city's work on the Bearspaw is, but noted water restrictions and construction in the area have been a challenge.
“We’ve honestly been struggling since COVID, so having this come up the last couple of years, it has slowed down traffic a lot," said Van Spankeren.
Zoë Decker, communications coordinator for the Bowness Community Association, said she loves how proactive the city is being on fixing the Bearspaw.
But she added she knows Bowness residents are feeling fatigued from one disruption after another.
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