Some residents in Calgary’s Bowness neighbourhood are once again living without running water—this time for up to 48 hours—as the City of Calgary conducts a feeder main inspection affecting 30 homes and one business beginning Wednesday morning.
The inspections are part of the repair work for the Bearspaw South feeder main, which severely ruptured for the second time in less than two years a week ago.
For longtime resident Sandy Pantella, who has lived in Bowness for 48 years, the disruption is more of an inconvenience than a crisis. Standing beside a tub partially filled with water she plans to use for handwashing, Pantella says she’s learned to adapt.
“Two days is not a big deal,” she said. “If it was two weeks, yeah that would be a little more uncomfortable. But you know, when you’re our age, you’re just glad to be on this side of the grass.”
Bowness was among the hardest-hit communities during the major feeder main break in 2024, and many residents say they’ve become accustomed to periodic water issues. Pantella recalls winters when residents were instructed to leave taps running at a pencil-thin trickle to prevent pipes from freezing.
“We have dealt with water issues for a lot of years,” she said. “There were many winters where we had to leave a tap running… otherwise everything would freeze up.”
Pantella describes the current situation as a “first world problem.”
Over the years, she and her family have purchased containers specifically for storing water during outages. One large jug in her home has been filled for months.
“We’re not gonna drink that water, of course,” she said. “But it’s good for flushing the toilet.”
While Pantella acknowledges the shutdown may be more challenging for families with young children, her neighbour Amanda Stacey, an 18‑year Bowness resident, says her household is taking it in stride.
“We go camping quite a bit, and when we go camping, we don’t use much water,” Stacey said. “Our kids are always kind of used to conserving water anyway. And with all these water restrictions that come and go in Bowness, the girls are used to that too.”
Despite the recurring disruptions, both Stacey and Pantella say they have no plans to leave the neighbourhood they love. For them, the connection to Bowness outweighs any water-related inconveniences.
The impacted properties include the Shane Homes West Soccer Dome and homes along 48 Avenue NW and 33 Avenue NW. Those affected have been notified by crews, according to the city.
Officials say the interruption is necessary because crews will be inspecting the feeder main in the area. Inspections are expected to be completed early Thursday, and the return to service will follow.