Major water leak in the Centre-Sud | After the rain comes the geyser

A week after the deluge that afflicted southern Quebec, a major water leak resembling a geyser flooded a large portion of the Centre-Sud on Friday morning. The pipe break, which affected hundreds of homes, will take weeks to repair.

The event began around 5:45 a.m. at the intersection of René-Lévesque Boulevard and De Lorimier Avenue, taking the form of a geyser about twenty metres high. The water quickly surged towards the surrounding arteries before rushing into residences.

In a matter of minutes, a large portion of the Centre-Sud was submerged. The block between Papineau, De Lorimier and Viger avenues and Sainte-Catherine Street was closed to traffic due to the flooding, which also forced the closure of the Ville-Marie tunnel.

By 9 a.m., the spectacular leak had largely subsided, but the causes of the event were still unknown, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said in a press scrum in the disaster area. “Plugging, cleaning, explaining the causes: everything will be assessed,” she assured.

An 84-inch (2.13 m) diameter drinking water pipe is the source of the leak, according to the mayor.

Power was also cut off in the affected area. Around 11 a.m., no fewer than 30,000 homes were without power, according to Hydro-Québec. A boil water advisory was issued in the boroughs of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles, and in Montréal-Est, due to the leak.

The pipe break seriously damaged the section of René-Lévesque Boulevard between De Lorimier Avenue and Notre-Dame Street, which will be closed for the next few days, according to Philippe Sabourin, spokesperson for the City of Montreal. “The asphalt was torn up, the sidewalk has completely collapsed: there is a lot of work to do before reopening to traffic,” he said.

Water department crews are now working to repair the broken pipe, a task that could take “several weeks,” according to Sabourin.

Overwhelmed residents

South of Sainte-Catherine Street, Dorion Street was completely submerged early Friday morning. By 11 a.m., most of the victims had been evacuated with the help of firefighters from the Montreal Fire Department (SIM), who were surveying the mud-covered streets to assess the damage caused by the water.

Simon Labrie-Boucher stood in a doorway, luggage in hand, a weary smile on his face. “The water got everywhere. Since we have to evacuate, all the furniture is going to rot,” observed the tenant who lives in the basement of a building.

In his apartment, the floor was still wet and the air was heavy with humidity. A few inches of water seeped into every room, but Simon Labrie-Boucher and his roommate managed to save several important items from the flood, as well as their cat. “I never thought it would happen to me, a flood like this,” the young man said as he packed his bags.

A block to the west, Cartier Street was still partially submerged early in the afternoon.

Around 2 p.m., Jean-François Latour was trying to clean the muddy floor of his semi-basement apartment. By morning, water had flooded his home, rising up to 5 feet high. “I lost everything,” said the retired teacher, standing in his driveway strewn with soaking wet objects to throw away.

“The water got into the filing cabinet where I keep my important documents,” he said. “I also lost my books, and a painting that came from the Yukon.” The tenant doesn’t know when he’ll be able to move back in. “I’m a little shocked,” he said.

Prime Minister François Legault confirmed during a press briefing early this afternoon that around a hundred residences were affected by the burst pipe.

About 150,000 homes are affected by the boil water advisory, he estimated.

Disaster-stricken businesses

From René-Lévesque Boulevard, the water made its way to Notre-Dame Street, where it rushed into the premises of several helpless entrepreneurs on Friday morning. “The entire leak ended up at our door,” said Julien Morin, owner of the mustard company La Morin, whose warehouse was flooded by nearly a metre of water.

By afternoon, the water had gone, but a pile of freshly packaged produce lay on the asphalt at the end of Papineau Avenue, where water had accumulated earlier in the day.

The entrepreneur estimates he lost $1 million worth of products and equipment in the fire. “It’s an apocalyptic sight,” he added, gesturing with his arms to the hundreds of boxes soaked in brownish water stacked in front of him.

The workshop of Joseph Lebel, an independent cabinetmaker, is in the same building. Tools imported from Europe, high-end materials, half-built furniture: the water caused losses of about $60,000 for the self-employed worker. “What scares me is how long it will take me just to get back to square one,” he said.

Joseph Lebel blames the management of the City of Montreal’s waterworks for the disaster. “I don’t want to be pitied. What I want is for the City to be proactive in resolving this,” said the craftsman.

Julien Morin deplores the fact that the SIM and the police did not come to their aid. “I went to the station, but they told me that we were not a priority,” he reported. “We had to get the water out of here with shovels and brooms, because no one came to pump it out.”

According to our sources, Noovo’s premises were completely flooded, with a total loss of a large part of its equipment – ​​including its cameras – and practically all of its vehicles. “We’ve really been in crisis management mode since 7 a.m. this morning,” an internal source said. The parking lot of the Maison de Radio-Canada was also flooded, according to our sources.

Bell Media said in a statement The Press that its premises, located at the corner of Papineau Avenue and René-Levesque Boulevard, were affected by the pipe break. The event temporarily knocked some of its television and radio stations, which include RDS, CTV and Rouge, off the air.

With Chloé Bourquin, The Press