Calgary businesses battle sinkhole after latest water main rupture

Businesses in Calgary's Bowness neighborhood are grappling with another round of water main issues after a sinkhole opened up over the weekend. The rupture, which occurred Saturday morning, has disrupted water service to approximately 20 businesses along Bowness Road.

Paul Sipos, owner of The Place restaurant, reported losing $9,000 in revenue and having to discard spoiled food during the three days his establishment has been closed. "My staff would like to come to work because they’ve got bills to pay," he told Global News, expressing concern about his ability to pay suppliers.

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My staff would like to come to work because they’ve got bills to pay. I have to call my suppliers and say, ‘Don’t process the payments this week because I don’t have any weekend money,’ so I’m going to ask them for another week’s grace.

City crews worked to repair the initial leak on Sunday, but a second rupture occurred after water pressure was restored. A city spokesperson stated that a section of the water main was being replaced and service was expected to be fully restored by the end of the day. This marks the latest in a series of water main breaks that have plagued the Bowness area, with a similar incident occurring in April.

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Crews are currently back on site and are replacing a small section of the watermain. We anticipate completing that repair today and are currently expecting water service to be fully restored by the end of the day.

"It’s been deja vu all over again," said Kellie Freeman, executive director of the Mainstreet Bowness Business Improvement Area. "It seems every couple of months businesses are dealing with water main breaks here." Even businesses not directly dependent on water, like Awaken The Gems, have suffered from reduced foot traffic and customer access due to ongoing construction. Jesse Bain, who opened the store with his wife four months ago, noted that they have had to close for at least one weekend per month because of the disruptions.

The city confirmed this break is unrelated to the critical Bearspaw feeder main, which has ruptured twice in the past two years, causing widespread water use restrictions and boil-water advisories.

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It’s been deja vu all over again. It seems every couple of months businesses are dealing with water main breaks here.