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<\/p>\nAging infrastructure and a leaky distribution network caused Calgary to lose nearly one-quarter of its treated water last year, according to a report coming to a city council committee next week.<\/p>\n
The city lost 23 per cent of its water in 2025 \u2014 a rate that falls within the average range of 20 to 24 per cent experienced since 2019, states the report, which will be presented to council\u2019s infrastructure and planning committee Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Water loss is estimated by comparing how much water is generated by the city\u2019s two water treatment plants with how much is billed through customer meters. The report notes, however, that the 23 per cent figure is an estimate, its accuracy depending \u201con how well we can measure, detect and confirm what\u2019s happening throughout the entire system.\u201d<\/p>\n
The loss rate is no surprise to Dr. Kerry Black, a civil engineering professor at the University of Calgary and the Canada Research Chair in integrated knowledge, engineering and sustainable communities.<\/p>\n
Black said every municipality loses some of its treated water.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe older infrastructure gets, the more chances there are for it to leak and the more that number goes up,\u201d she said in an interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you start to see (water loss rates) between 20 to 30 per cent, these are not necessarily surprising. But it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not concerning and that something shouldn\u2019t be done to address it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calgary has more than 5,500 kilometres of belowground water pipes, which deliver water to more than 1.6 million customers in Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere, Strathmore and the Tsuut\u2019ina Nation. The network includes more than 345,000 service connections.<\/p>\n
While some leaks are to be expected along such a large network, the city\u2019s report notes recent system challenges \u2014 namely the two failures of the Bearspaw south feeder main \u2014 reinforced the need to reduce how much water Calgary is losing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have people\u2019s attention and people caring about water in Calgary \u2014 that\u2019s the time to be pushing forward ambitious agendas for water,\u201d Black said. \u201cIt\u2019s when we\u2019re not paying attention that people don\u2019t want to spend money toward it.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow is the time to seize on the fact that most Calgarians are the most informed they\u2019ve ever been about water infrastructure. There\u2019s no question about that. So, now that we have everyone\u2019s attention, let\u2019s focus on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Admin calls for $342 million investment over four years<\/p>\n
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The City of Calgary will begin Stage B construction on the Bearspaw South Feeder Main replacement project in May 2026.<\/p>\n
The city produces 550 million litres of water per day, on average, though this can be much higher during the summer months. A 23 per cent loss rate means Calgary is losing approximately 40 billion litres of water annually, or about 115 million litres daily.<\/p>\n
To bring this down, administration is recommending council approve a capital spending plan of $342 million for the 2027-30 budget cycle to replace aging water infrastructure and improve how the city detects leaks and measures water usage.<\/p>\n
That is roughly double the $162 million the city budgeted for the same purposes in the 2023-26 fiscal plan, the report says.<\/p>\n
Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Yule said the funding request is extensive, but indicative of the challenge facing the current council to address Calgary\u2019s water infrastructure issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been talking about water ever since I started as a councillor, so the numbers don\u2019t surprise me,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d say this was an administration-initiated effort to get ahead of this, and I think it\u2019s just a matter of making sure we take action \u2014 and continue to take action \u2014 to help reduce this number.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yule referred to the city\u2019s new water efficiency plan<\/a>, which council approved earlier this spring. The plan aims to reduce Calgary\u2019s overall water consumption<\/a> by 20 per cent by 2040.<\/p>\n It also includes an accelerated water loss program, with a goal to reduce Calgary\u2019s rate of water loss to 15 per cent by 2030.<\/p>\n Considering water scarcity and drought will likely be more pronounced in the future, Yule said it\u2019s crucial for the city to be as water-efficient as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a city on two small rivers,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d say the resource is finite, but the growth of our city is exponential. It\u2019s all tied together, from our housing strategy to our environmental strategy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to make sure we\u2019re giving future Calgarians the most amount of runway to make sure the resources can be stretched as far as they need to be stretched in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n How will Calgary reduce water loss? A City of Calgary crew flushes out a water main through an open fire hydrant to clear potential contaminated water following a large water main break near Silverado on Friday, June 2, 2023.<\/p>\n Calgary manages its water loss through a proactive leak detection system and a cathodic protection program that aims to delay the deterioration of metallic pipes, a city official previously told Postmedia. The city\u2019s waterworks team uses acoustic sensors and even satellite imaging to identify where leaks are occurring, as part of an annual replacement, testing and inspection program.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the city launched a program to replace water meters<\/a> at residential and commercial properties with new smart meters. The five-year program, set to last until 2031, will replace more than 400,000 meters with newer devices that use cloud technology that more accurately track how much water a property is using and how much the property should be billed.<\/p>\n The city is also recommending council budget $179 million over the next four years to replace 10 kilometres of aging water mains this year, and then 15 kilometres annually from 2027 to 2030, according to the report.<\/p>\n The city replaced 7.8 kilometres of water mains in 2025, 3.2 kilometres in 2024 and 2.5 kilometres in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we are doing the work and we just need to continue doing the work,\u201d Yule said. \u201cWe sort of classified ourselves, from the mayor to the rest of council, that we\u2019re going to be that \u2018infrastructure\u2019 council. It\u2019s not flashy. It\u2019s not big arenas and big projects.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really about getting down to the core services of our city, like our pipes, and making sure we\u2019re being efficient with the infrastructure we have.\u201d<\/p>\n How does Calgary\u2019s water loss compare to other cities?<\/p>\n Though Calgary\u2019s water leakage is extensive, some Alberta municipalities lose even more of their treated water output, while others lose much less.<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ed8fb62ac2ed49780b1d086b6011c2cb.jpeg\"\/)
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