City of Calgary crews tackling water main breaks caused by cold snap

Water main breaks hit Calgary pipes Frigid temperatures are expected to burst a few more pipes in Calgary. Adriana Zhang reports

CALGARY — Water main breaks in Calgary have city workers busy through the holiday. According to the city's website, there are four ongoing water disruptions across the city.

Chris Huston, Manager of Drinking Water Distribution with the City of Calgary, said they've received about 80 calls about frozen pipes since Christmas.

"When you get into the minus mid-20s to the minus 30s, it's pretty common for indoor plumbing to freeze," he said.

Huston said water main breaks happen for a number of different reasons, "You've got soil conditions, pipe age, pipe material, and potential pipe transients as pumps come on and off in the system."

He said there's not much that can be done to prevent water main breaks, but residents can take steps to prevent water lines from freezing. Thermostats should be set to at least 15 C, even when no one is home. Residents can also check for drafts, and refrain from opening windows.

Warmer temperatures this weekend could lead to a brief thaw, and Huston said that could lead to more calls down the road, "It could have an impact later on, but it really depends on what the weather does in February, March, and April."