The state of the infrastructure that delivers the country’s water – and the billions needed to inspect, maintain and replace it – has come under scrutiny since a major pipe broke in the city
Calgary crews continue to work to repair a ruptured major water main, which flooded streets and forced residents to cut down on their indoor water use.Nearly one-quarter of drinking water pipes in Canada ’s largest cities are near the end of their useful life, raising the prospect of enormous repair bills for cash-strapped local governments.
While there was relatively little of the type of pipe identified in Calgary’s catastrophic break last month, the water pipes serving Canada’s biggest cities break thousands of times each year. Though most aren’t as dramatic as Calgary’s rupture, decades-old infrastructure is coming to the end of its life, putting pressure on cities to fix up old pipes, even as they build new ones to serve growing populations.
Nationally, the average remaining lifespan of the country’s pipes is going down. Nearly one-fifth of the pipes across Canada were installed before 1970 and, according to Statscan, are reaching the end of their useful life. In nine of Canada’s 10 biggest cities – Montreal is not included in the survey – the situation is worse: 23.9 per cent of pipes date to the 1960s or earlier.
This appears to be what happened in Calgary, where the failed pipe was 49 years into what was expected to be a 100-year lifespan. Modelling based on the pipe’s age, material and operating pressures did not suggest that a physical inspection was required, according to city official François Bouchart.Physical inspections require pipes to be dug up and are costly and intrusive, although modelling does not preclude a possible failure, Prof. Karney noted.
The scale of Canada’s urban water systems is vast. Toronto, Montreal and Calgary alone have enough pipe to stretch from one side of the country to the other and back. In recent years, cities have become more fiscally rigorous when it comes to their water systems. This has not been painless. Quebec Premier François Legault had to apologize this spring after responding to funding requests by saying, “I’ve been in politics long enough to know that mayors find it easier to go begging in Quebec City rather than tidy up their own finances.”
– emptied Parliament and prompted vast new engineering works in London, then the biggest city in the world. Last month, Calgary’s ruptured pipe sparked shower and laundry restrictions that brought viscerally to the foreground how much residents rely on free-flowing water.
Aud-Url Aud-Headline Pipe City Water Infrastructure Canada Calgary Condition Pipes University Of Calgary University Of Waterloo David Miller
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