Calgary is moving ahead with construction on the North Calgary Water Servicing (NCWS) project, a major infrastructure investment designed to deliver clean, reliable drinking water to current and future communities in the city’s northwest.
The project includes a 22-kilometre water feeder main and 10 supporting facilities, such as new pump stations, expanded underground reservoirs, and tie-ins to existing infrastructure at the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant. Once operational, the system will initially provide up to 100 million litres of water per day, with capacity increasing to 410 million litres per day after a new water treatment plant is completed.
The existing 51-year-old Bearspaw feeder main ruptured on June 5, 2024, launching a summer of intense water restrictions for residents and businesses.
The new feeder main will extend north from the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant near Stoney Trail and Nose Hill Drive, crossing under Crowchild Trail before connecting to the Northridge Feeder Main at 144 Avenue and 14 Street N.W.
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“The North Calgary Water Servicing project is a key step in supporting Calgary’s continued growth,” said Melanie Gray, Calgary’s senior project engineer and program manager for utilities delivery. “It ensures a reliable supply of clean drinking water for communities in the northwest and strengthens our overall water system by adding redundancy for emergencies or maintenance.”
Construction will begin simultaneously at two sites: one along Country Hills Boulevard and Rocky Ridge Road, within the future Rocky Ridge Athletic Park east of the Shane Homes YMCA; and another along Rocky Ridge Road N.W. north of the YMCA to 144 Avenue N.W. Work on the first two facilities will also begin at the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant and the Top Hill Reservoir.
Graham has signed on to design and construct nine support facilities as part of the NCWS project.
Key project components for Graham’s portion of the project include:
- A new 100 ML high lift pump station at Bearspaw
- Electrical and mechanical upgrades at the Mountain View Pump Station
- A new reservoir at the Top Hill site and upgrades to the Research Park Booster Pump Station
- Feeder main and PRV chambers at the Big Hill East Reservoir
- A tie-in between the Beddington Reservoir and the Northridge feeder main
- Preliminary structures to accommodate a future energy reduction facility.
The feeder main is scheduled for completion by 2028, with facility construction and system commissioning wrapping up by 2029, when the full system is expected to come online.
The NCWS project is part of a broader effort to expand Calgary’s water transmission capacity, alongside other key initiatives such as the South Calgary Water Servicing project (target completion in 2031), the Crosstie Feeder Main (2029), the Bearspaw South Feeder Main Improvements, and the design of a new water treatment plant still in conceptual stages.
