Calgary mayor issues stark water supply warning after workplace injuries pause work on feeder main

globalnews.ca:

City of Calgary issued a critical water supply alert following a catastrophic water main break, the city’s mayor said repair work on the feeder main has been paused after two workers were taken to hospital.While delivering an on-camera statement Thursday morning, Mayor Jyoti Gondek warned the city is currently “at a place where we don’t have enough of a cushion for emergencies.”“Those emergencies include use in hospitals and in firefighting,” she said. “There’s still a real threat that we could run out of water.”Gondek began her address by bracing Calgarians for what her update would entail.“I have difficult news to share with you this morning,” she said.

“Two people were injured on site overnight. Both were taken to hospital and neither are in critical condition.“Crews instituted an immediate safety stop, and work on the pipe has been halted.

… We expect that repair work on the feeder main will not resume before this afternoon.”Gondek added that the city has a team working with Alberta Occupational Health and Safety.“The work that these crews have been doing has been invaluable in getting our water back to normal,” she said “And I want to thank all of them for their very hard work.“Our hearts are heavy at the city this morning.”David Duckworth, the City of Calgary’s chief administrative officer, said one of the injured workers is a city employee and the other is a contract employee.He said the injuries occurred at about 10 p.m. local time on Wednesday.A spokesperson for Emergency Medical Services in Calgary provided details to Global News about when paramedics were called to the 16th Avenue construction site.Stuart Brideaux said two adults were injured when “a chain failed and broke, striking them.”He said one of the