Bearspaw South Feeder Main incident

Independent Panel recommendations

Our Implementation Plan

After the June 2024 Bearspaw Feeder Main break, the City commissioned a forensic investigation and a comprehensive independent review from an Independent Review Panel (The Panel) to investigate what happened and help identify ways to strengthen the water system moving forward.

The Panel found the break was tied to ageing infrastructure and systemic issues related to governance, asset integrity, and risk management.

In January 2026, the Panel shared these findings with City Council, identifying urgent actions to stabilize the Bearspaw South Feeder Main, reduce the risk of future failures, and strengthen how the system is managed and overseen.

The City has developed a plan to act on the Panel's recommendations. Progress will be reported here. 

Independent Review

Download the full report

What this means

  • This is a pivotal point for our organization

    The recommendations in the Panel report will be a foundation for how the water utility operates from now on.

  • We are moving fast and intentionally

    We’re already at work: stabilizing the current pipe, building a new one, working on the ground with those affected most and preparing to strengthen our water utility.

  • Calgarians’ water system needs to be safe and reliable

    Our path ahead will ensure we have a reliable water system with the right infrastructure, systems and governance for generations to come.

How we’re delivering on the recommendations

The City has developed a comprehensive four‑stage Implementation Plan to act on The Panel’s recommendations, aligned with their roadmap and urgency. That plan is currently before Council, and many actions are actively underway.

  1. Critical System Stabilization & High Priority Actions
  2. Establish New Leadership and Governance Structures
  3. Develop Planning, Regulatory, and Risk Frameworks
  4. Prepare Long‑Term Organizational and Governance Transition
Review the plan

Background

The Bearspaw South Feeder Main is the largest in Calgary’s network, and distributes a significant portion of the city’s treated water supply. The feeder main experienced a break on June 5, 2024.

Since then, 29 pipe segment repairs have taken place to support the stabilization of feeder main and the pipe has undergone an investigation to gain an understanding of the conditions that lead to the failure. The Bearspaw South Feeder Main will be undergoing further improvements to support long-term resiliency. The project will add a parallel pipe of the same size as the existing BSFM. Over time, this new pipe will take over service from the current line. Learn more on the Improvements Project page.

Recent water main break

For information about the water main break that occurred in December 2025 visit: 

2025 Water main break