A firefighter stands on a flooded street next to a geyser caused by a broken watermain in Montreal, Friday, August 16, 2024, causing flooding in several streets of the area.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
A break in a major water-main pipe flooded streets and homes, caused power interruptions and prompted a boil water order for 150,000 households in Montreal on Friday.
The Montreal fire department warned on X of major flooding around the intersection of Sainte-Catherine Est Street and de Lorimier Avenue, near the Jacques Cartier Bridge early Friday morning. “Please avoid the area!!” the post said.
In a news conference Friday, Montreal mayor Valérie Plante said that an 84-inch-wide drinking-water pipe that was installed in 1985 had broken, causing a geyser-like burst of water to flood the area.
Witnesses said that at its peak, a “wall of water” 10 metres high had burst through the ground, flooding the densely populated neighbourhood near the bridge.
By 11:45 a.m. the situation was “under control,” Ms. Plante said, and the city’s director of water services said workers had managed to close a valve so the pressure in the water main was dropping. However, Ms. Plante said the city was issuing a boil-water advisory that covered residences in the eastern part of the city.
People will have to boil their water for one minute before consuming it if they live below Sherbrooke Street in the boroughs of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Rivière-des-Prairies – Pointe-aux-Trembles, and the on-island suburb of Montréal-Est.
“The good news is that everything is under control,” Ms. Plante said. “We will have to repair the pipe, but we no longer have the same quantity of water [on the street] that we had this morning … and as a precaution, there will be a preventive boil-water advisory.”
Earlier on X, Ms. Plante said workers were mobilized to “identify the cause, close the valves and plan repairs.” She said the Red Cross would take care of the people affected by the disruption and that the Ville-Marie borough council chamber was opened to them as well.
Around 1 p.m. Friday, only two affected residents and about 10 Red Cross employees and volunteers were at the borough council chamber.
Clément Pouchain said firefighters knocked on his door and evacuated his building around 9 a.m., and he was waiting for the green light to go back home. Mr. Pouchain, who lives on the fourth floor, said the ground floor of the building was flooded but he didn’t expect damage to his unit.
At the corner of De Lorimier and Sainte-Catherine, several fire trucks and police vehicles remained around a cordoned-off area and a command centre. Water had receded, leaving muddied sidewalks.
An 84-inch-wide water pipe had broken, causing a geyser-like burst of water to flood the area, Montreal mayor Valérie Plante said Friday.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
Lyman Zhu said he woke up to what sounded like “heavy rain” and when he looked out his window saw a “wall of water” that was about 10 metres high and the width of the street. “It was insane,” he said.
City of Montreal spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said about 100 homes were flooded, and two families have asked to be relocated.
Montreal police said on X that there were major traffic disruptions in the area between De Maisonneuve Boulevard, Notre-Dame Street, Frontenac Street and Alexandre-DeSève Street.
About 14,000 clients were without power around noon Friday in Montreal, according to Hydro Québec. Most of them were concentrated in the same area near the Jacques-Cartier bridge to protect public safety, the public utility corporation said on its website. The utility said it is hoping to have power restored by Friday evening.
At the news conference Friday, fire department division chief Martin Guilbault said officials were going door to door to ensure the safety of residents of flooded buildings. He said even though water levels had dropped, people should still avoid the area until further notice.
Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said on X that the province was in contact with the city and has offered help to deal with the flood.
A similar water main broke in Calgary in June, prompting more than a month of water restrictions in the city as crews worked to repair that pipe. The city revealed earlier this month that further work was needed on the drinking water feeder main, and new restrictions are being imposed on Aug. 26.
A Globe and Mail analysis published last month found nearly one-quarter of drinking water pipes in Canada’s largest cities will soon need to be replaced, which will come with enormous repair bills for cash-strapped local governments.
Montreal was not included in the data provided by Statistics Canada, however, the main potable water pipe network is 795 kilometres long, city spokesperson Hugo Bourgoin said in a June e-mail. The city faced 370 water main breaks in the past decade, Mr. Bourgoin said.
With a file from the Canadian Press
A break in a major underground water main near Montreal's Jacques Cartier Bridge has sent water gushing down streets and inside homes. Canadian Press reporter Morgan Lowrie says the flooding led to the evacuation of nearby buildings and a boil-water advisory for about 150,000 homes.
The Canadian Press