Discharge of sewage into a river
When a broken pipe threatened Calgary’s water supply, an astute city worker scored a supply chain home run in San Diego.
Sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know. This is as true in logistics and sourcing as it is anywhere else. When one of Calgary’s major water mains sprung a leak on June 5, 2024, the race was on to restore the city’s water supply.
Bearspaw’s south feeder line, which moves approximately 60% of Calgary’s water, making it a critical part of the city’s infrastructure, was impacted.1 In wake of the incident, residents and businesses were asked to conserve water in order to prevent taps from literally running dry.
When five more vulnerable ‘hotspots’ were discovered on June 14, the timeline for recovery shifted outward.2 Addressing the problem took hard work, dedication, and a ‘former colleague’ from San Diego. The clock was ticking.
Sourcing Massive Pipelines No Easy Supply Chain Task
24-foot sections of 77-inch concrete pipelines weighing over 12 thousand pounds can’t be purchased at Walmart. Yet these items were exactly what the City of Calgary needed in order to complete repairs. Calgary had three of the five replacement parts it needed on hand, which still left them wanting for two more which is where the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) stepped in.
According to San Diego’s ABC News 10, the Authority’s Operations and Maintenance Manager Martin Coghill was contacted by a former colleague who now works for the City of Calgary.3 The result was fortuitous for the unnamed Calgarian.
“This is one of several pieces of pipe we have in our yard that we store in case of emergency,” explained Coghill. “Thankfully we are able to release two of these pipes to Calgary. They need it more than we do.”3
It was a sourcing slam dunk. One Reddit user sums up the feelings of many Calgarians.
“This has to be the logistics equivalent to finding the exact change needed for a Mcflurry in the jacket you haven’t worn since 2021 because your ex thought you looked good in it,” wrote Minus15t.4
Tweets, Spray Paint, and Logistics
Once the pipelines had been sourced it was time for them to head north toward Calgary. Air cargo was certainly out of the question, so the items were loaded onto a flatbed truck to begin their multi-day journey.
The pipelines departed on June 17. Over the next three days, the San Diego County Water Authority documented the process through a series of neighborly tweets. One showed the truck departing with the payload, while another displayed a message found on the side of the pipe. “Good luck Calgary ❤️ SDCWA” read the spray painted memo.5
“I felt a nice little message was deserved, and hopefully it brings good luck for the pipe and for the people of Calgary,” Coghill said. 5 “I can only have a huge amount of empathy for what they are going through.”3
Lack of Local Options Makes Sourcing Critical
In a province famous for pipelines, many wondered why the parts had to be brought in from faraway California. As Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek noted during a June 19 press conference, time was of the essence.
She explained that pipes of that particular nature were not consistent with the size used in oil and gas, and were only likely to be found in the possession of an organization that provides water to residents.6
“While we would have welcomed the opportunity to custom make this pipe right here at home, it would have taken a lot of time, and in the interest of getting your water turned on as quickly as possible, we chose the option that would make repairs much faster,” Gondek said.6
A Logistics Success
Mayor Gondek announced the arrival of the parts during the press conference, thanking the SDCWA and other agencies that helped expedite the equipment’s delivery.6 From there, the pipe was sandblasted and coated with epoxy, before being put in place.
The pipeline was slowly brought back into use and most water restrictions were eased in early July. Despite initial concerns, it was ultimately the cooperation of Calgary’s citizens that prevented a troubling water shortage from resulting in a catastrophic water outage.
While it was the city’s populace who scored the goal, there were numerous assists on the play. Credit should be given to a large team of tireless workers, some friends in San Diego, a truck driver, and a Calgarian city worker who had the right connections and utilized them effectively. The high stakes involved in this case make it a noteworthy logistical case study. The winning formula of diligence and luck, however, is by no means unique.
Canadian Alliance Terminals best in class transportation division has professionals available to expedite those time urgent shipments and perform unique logistical solutions daily.
Cited Sources
1 “Repairs on Calgary’s Broken Feeder Main Are Now Complete, but Water Service Not yet Restored | CBC News.” CBCnews, June 25, 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/city-calgary-water-main-break-repairs-work-complete-1.7245765.
2 Calgary water main repairs could take 3-5 more weeks, after scans reveal deficiencies in the pipe. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/the-taps-will-run-dry-calgary-mayor-issues-bleak-warning-as-city-reaches-threshold-1.6926981.
3 Dickens, Aaron. “San Diego County Stepping up to Help Calgary Water Crisis.” ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV, June 18, 2024. https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/san-diego-county-stepping-up-to-help-calgary-water-crisis.
4 R/Calgary on reddit: Replacement pipes arrive in Calgary to help in water main repairs. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/comments/1djkkui/replacement_pipes_arrive_in_calgary_to_help_in/.
5 “happy to help”: Replacement pipes start journey from San Diego to Calgary. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/happy-to-help-replacement-pipes-start-journey-from-san-diego-to-calgary-1.6930720.
6 “Calgary Receives Two Pipe Pieces from San Diego to Speed up Repairs.” YouTube, June 19, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qh5lPeAc1g.