The Bearspaw South Feeder Main Replacement Project is on track, with about two kilometres of new steel pipe now installed across 12 work areas in Bowness, Montgomery, and Parkdale. That's part of a larger, more than 6-kilometre replacement effort that began receiving its first steel pipe segments on June 18.
"The first segments of steel pipe arrived on June 18, 2026, and since then crews have been working rapidly to have it installed making significant progress in just one month," said Darren Finney, Manager, Major Projects. "The commitment of our teams, contractors and the impacted community continues to drive this project forward for all Calgarians."
Construction is split into two stages. Stage B, which kicked off in June along 34 Avenue N.W. in Bowness, now has 40 segments of new feeder main installed across three blocks, using an open-cut method that lets crews restore roads, sidewalks, and property access as they move through each section. That work is expected to continue through the end of the year.
Stage A, meanwhile, involves microtunneling between the Shaganappi Pump Station and 73rd Street N.W. Crews are close to finishing that tunneling and the concrete carrier pipe that will house the new steel main, with more than 1,100 metres of feeder main already installed inside that carrier pipe. This stage is expected to wrap up within the next month.
Looking ahead to fall, the project will move through three more phases to connect the new pipe to Calgary's water system: prep work at the Shaganappi pump station starting around mid-September, pipe tie-in connections beginning mid-October, and commissioning — disinfecting and filling the new pipe while taking the old one offline — starting mid-November. All of these timelines are estimates and could shift depending on how construction progresses.
Notably, Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions and indoor conservation measures will be required for about four weeks during the mid-October tie-in phase. No restrictions are expected during the September pump station work, barring a spike in demand from hot weather, and none are needed during the November commissioning phase.
Residents and businesses affected by the work can get more information or raise questions at the project's Community Resource Centre at the Bowness Community Association, open Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
