Calgary Grapples with Significant Water Loss from Leaking Infrastructure
Nearly a quarter of the treated water distributed throughout Calgary’s underground network was lost last year due to leaks. An update presented to the city’s Infrastructure and Planning Committee revealed that an estimated 23 percent of the city’s treated water vanished in the past year. This figure has remained consistently high, fluctuating between 20 and 24 percent annually since 2019, and is projected to continue within this range until 2025.
The city calculates water loss by measuring the discrepancy between the volume of water treated and the volume recorded by customer meters. However, the accuracy of these estimations hinges on the city’s capacity to effectively monitor and verify conditions across its entire water system.
Challenges in Leak Detection
Identifying leaks within Calgary’s extensive water distribution system presents considerable difficulties. Ryan Kidd, the city’s deputy director of drinking water, explained that the region’s predominantly gravelly and porous soil often prevents leaks from surfacing. “We have to actively go out and look and listen for those. It can be a pretty significant activity,” Kidd stated, highlighting the proactive measures required to detect these hidden issues.
Contributing factors to water loss include aging pipes, leaking hydrants, faulty valves, and breaches in service lines and joints.
Calls for Emergency Action and Investment
Ward 4 Coun. DJ Kelly characterized the leakage situation as an “emergency situation.” He attributed the high loss rate to “chronically underinvesting in our water infrastructure… for 15-plus years,” emphasizing a long-term neglect of essential systems.
Conversely, some experts view the water loss figures as understandable given the sheer scale of Calgary’s water network, which encompasses over 5,500 kilometers of pipes and serves 345,000 connections. Kerry Black, a civil engineering professor at the University of Calgary, noted that such leakage rates are not uncommon across Canada. “You’ll tend to see 10, 15, 20 per cent depending on the municipality across Canada,” Black commented, suggesting that Calgary’s figures fall within a recognized spectrum of municipal water loss.
Accelerated Water Loss Program Aims for Improvement
Recent system disruptions, such as the failures along the Bearspaw feeder main, have underscored the urgent need to mitigate water loss and bolster system resilience, according to city administration. In response, the city has launched the Accelerated Water Loss Program, with the ambitious goal of reducing water loss to 15 percent by 2030.
Program Components and Funding
The program outlines several key strategies, including enhanced water measurement capabilities through advanced metering infrastructure, increased system monitoring, expanded leak detection and repair operations, and a greater focus on pipe renewal and preventative maintenance. A significant component involves the replacement of water main pipes, with plans to replace 10 kilometers in 2026, an increase from 7.8 kilometers in 2025 and 3.2 kilometers in 2024. This target is set to rise to 15 kilometers annually starting in 2027.
“We are certainly committed to increasing our surveying rate and finding and fixing leaks,” Kidd affirmed.
However, city administration acknowledges that addressing water loss requires substantial resources. The proposed budget for the next four years allocates $342 million for this initiative, a doubling of the $168 million designated in the previous budget cycle. Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot, who chairs the committee, advocated for increased spending, viewing the investment as a form of “cost avoidance.” He explained that reducing water loss is significantly more economical than constructing a new water treatment plant to meet demand.
“It’s a lot cheaper for us to reduce our water loss than to build a new water treatment plant,” Chabot stated. “For me, it’s a small investment in something that’s going to have a long-term benefit.”
Council to Deliberate on Funding
Despite the proposed plan, some council members expressed frustration regarding the substantial new spending required. Ward 9 Coun. Harrison Clark voiced his concerns, stating, “I’m a bit frustrated as a new city councillor. We’re dealing with a lack of investment on a number of fronts and if we just bite the bullet and pay the full cost now, we can catch up somehow. It’s going to be an interesting budget cycle.”
The city council is scheduled to make a decision on the full funding of the Accelerated Water Loss Program during budget deliberations in November.
