CALGARY: Alberta Health Services ordered Calgary to issue a boil water advisory for parts of the city’s southwest on Friday after a private-property service line break disrupted a watermain serving Spruce Cliff and limited areas of Wildwood and Rosscarrock. The city said the advisory covered about 500 homes and 10 businesses and took effect immediately, requiring residents and business operators in the affected zone to boil tap water before consuming it while crews worked to restore normal service.
The city said the service line broke on Friday morning on private property. During efforts to shut off water to that location, the disruption affected the watermain supplying drinking water to the surrounding area. Calgary said crews were actively working to restore water and expected service to return Friday afternoon. Officials also said the incident was not related to the Bearspaw South Feeder Main and did not involve a break on a city water main, distinguishing it from broader water system work underway elsewhere in Calgary.
Under the advisory, people in the affected neighbourhoods were told to bring tap water to a rolling boil for one full minute before drinking it, brushing teeth, washing raw foods or making ice. The city said bottled water could also be used and that water wagons were being deployed to support residents during the disruption. Calgary said it expected the order to remain in place for at least three days while the watermain is flushed and water quality testing is completed.
Affected area and response
The affected area lies mostly within the Bow River Pathway to the north, Shaganappi Golf Course to the east and 37th Street SW to the west, including properties on the west side of that road. Some homes and businesses as far south as 17th Avenue SW were also included. City mapping showed the largest portion of the advisory zone in Spruce Cliff, with smaller sections extending into neighbouring Wildwood and Rosscarrock in southwest Calgary.
Calgary said it was working with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas and Alberta Health Services to address the water quality concerns created by the disruption. The city said the precautionary order does not indicate a problem with Calgary’s overall drinking water system or its treatment plants, but is intended to ensure water is safe for human consumption before the advisory is lifted. The notice said a formal all-clear would be issued only after testing is finished and results confirm the water meets safety standards.
Public guidance and monitoring
Residents with questions were directed to contact 311, while health-related inquiries about safe water use during the advisory were referred to Health Link 811. Calgary also said locations for water wagons and subsequent service updates would be posted through its water outage channels. On its outage page, the city said the incident was not expected to increase overall water demand, a point that separated the localized disruption from ongoing reinforcement work linked to the Bearspaw South Feeder Main.
In its latest public notices, Calgary said the boil water advisory remained in effect until further notice for the affected parts of Spruce Cliff, Wildwood and Rosscarrock. The city said customers should continue following boil water instructions until laboratory testing is complete and an official lift notice is posted. For residents and businesses inside the zone, the immediate focus remained on safe water use, restoration of regular service and monitoring city updates for the final clearance. – By Content Syndication Services.