The City of Calgary had “sound engineering oversight and the appropriate risk-based management in place” to address the critical rupture of the Bearspaw South feeder main in June 2024, a practice review by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) has found.
Completion of the practice review means APEGA assessed Calgary’s engineering management processes and its alignment with the Engineering and Geoscience Professions (EGP) Act, the General Regulation, and APEGA’s bylaws and practice standards.
“No indications of unskilled practice or unprofessional conduct were found during the practice review,” states APEGA’s review, which notes that a formal investigation would have been launched if unprofessional conduct was suspected.
While APEGA initiates practice reviews for about 10% of its some 4,600 permit holders on an annual basis, the regulator does not typically disclose that practice reviews are underway. The intense publicity around the Calgary repair, however, led APEGA to publicly announce this practice review in August 2024.
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The practice review considered the context of prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) failures, which experienced “relaxed” manufacturing standards around the time of its 1974 installation in Calgary, and contributed to a high rate of premature failures elsewhere despite a 100-year service life. Those standards have since been strengthened, APEGA noted.
APEGA’s review noted that the City of Calgary’s forensic investigation into the Bearspaw South rupture, conducted by Associated Engineering, found the incident “consistent” with other PCCP failures across North America.
APEGA’s literature review also acknowledges that “preventing a PCCP rupture is not assured, even with monitoring and predictive technologies in place.”
An additional third-party review of the feeder main rupture is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. A panel of five industry experts will explain what happened during the Bearspaw South Feeder Main incident, why it happened, and what changes are needed to prevent this type of incident from reoccurring. The review will also examine all aspects of Calgary’s utility infrastructure, including water, wastewater and stormwater systems.
