Residents of rue Wurtele, in the borough of Ville-Marie, are angry after learning that the City of Montreal was released from all responsibility for the floods they suffered during the torrential rains that occurred on September 13, 2022. While the City urges them to carry out corrective work in their homes, residents instead claim that the aging sewer system is responsible for the damage caused.
On September 13, 2022, heavy rains fell on the metropolis. In the area of Montgomery, Wurtele and Rouen streets, the water rose up to 50 centimeters in the street, residents report. That day, Montreal received 50 mm of water in two hours, the equivalent of the amount of rain that the metropolis usually receives in a month. In several homes, the main damage was caused not by sewer backups, but by the water that seeped through the doors and windows at the height of the deluge.
Residents of Wurtele Street with whom The duty spoke denounce the dilapidated state of the sewer network which, unable to absorb all the rain that day, caused significant accumulations of water in the surrounding streets. The sector would be located in a “basin” where a stream once flowed that urbanization has caused to disappear, they point out.
Letters
At Alexandre Delierre, the water mainly entered through the walls. Damage estimated at $20,000 was paid for by the insurance company.
In December, however, he received a letter from the City’s water service inspector who, after visiting the premises, informed him of the various works he would have to carry out within 90 days, failing which he exposed himself to criminal prosecution. Then, on January 4, it was the turn of a claims adjustment firm, mandated by the City, to advise it that the floods were attributable to the “exceptional weather conditions” of September 13, 2022 and that the Ville declined all responsibility in this matter.
This outcome exasperates Alexandre Delierre, especially since this type of exceptional precipitation could become “normal” given climate change. “We ask to be protected and to live peacefully, but the City declines all responsibility,” he said. I can put a million valves in my house, but when the water goes through the doors and windows, we put them, where the valves? »
At his neighbour’s, Joannie Roussin-Morin, the damage was even greater since the basement of this type house shoe box included bedrooms, a bathroom and a laundry room. At home, the water infiltrated through the garage door and not through the sewers, she maintains.
Mme Roussin-Morin received the same letters as M. Delierre. “The City told us that our check valve was defective. However, we bought the house three years ago and renovated it, both the plumbing and the electricity. We dug a French drain. We have three valves and a pump. We are well equipped, she says, exasperated. The City tells us to do work while the street was transformed into a river. »
Her insurance company has even advised her that she will refuse to cover water damage in the future until the source of the problem, the city’s sewers, is corrected, says Ms.me Roussin Morin. “We are all very worried about that and the City doesn’t care. She’s just trying to put it on our backs. »
Psychological sequelae
Alice Dufour Thériault was suggested to raise the thresholds of the doors and windows through which the water rushed in on September 13, 2022. Except that this measure is impossible to apply for security reasons, reports- she.
According to her, beyond the material damage, the residents suffer from psychological damage. “Whenever there is a storm forecast, I manage to work from home. In the winter, I clear the manholes when it rains. We are in a situation of ultra-vigilance, ”she explains.
Nothing is going to be settled if the City does not renovate the sewer lines, she said. However, the City has not presented any plan to this effect.
The City tells us to do work while the street was transformed into a river
Political attaché at the office of the mayor of Ville-Marie, Valérie Plante, Simon Charron was unable to give details on the state of dilapidation of the sewer pipes or to say if work was planned in the network. underground in this area. “We are aware of the issues facing people who live on Wurtele Street, but also in other sectors in Sainte-Marie since the September 13 flood. We are in constant communication with the citizens, ”he assures.
The Borough also intends to organize an information meeting with citizens shortly, Mr. Charron indicated, recalling that the City wishes to adopt an intervention strategy to make the City more resilient in the face of climate change.
Moreover, a few hours before the deluge of September 13, 2022, Mayor Valérie Plante and the mayors of nine other major Quebec cities had requested by the government of Quebec a “green pact” to help municipalities fight climate change.
Residents aren’t ruling out going to court, but they know the fight could be a long one. Last year, more than ten years after a class action was filed, Rosemont flood victims finally reached an agreement with the City to obtain compensation.