Vancouver crews fix water main after Robson Street flood
'I saw this huge wave of water going down Robson,' says nearby resident Mick Otaka
Vancouver city officials have fixed a water main break near the intersection of Robson and Bidwell Streets in the city's downtown.
Update: Water main break at 1600 Robson is now completed by crew. Water should be running soon. If turbid, please run cold until clear. ^CC
—@CityofVancouverArea resident Mike Otaka says he was preparing for bad weather and storms anyway, when the water in his building was shut off on Sunday.
"I looked out the window and I could see this huge wave going down Robson Street," said Otaka, who stocked up on water bottles and filled the bathtub with hot water.
City of Vancouver officials said they believe the changing and cooling temperatures combined with the age of the pipe, which dates back to the early 1970s, are the causes of the break.
Crews arrived around 2 p.m. PT and began work to fix the problem. While water has been restored completely to affected buildings, more work is expected at the site on Monday.
While repairs were made the water flow was turned down to stop the gushing, and the wet areas were salted as temperatures are expected to dip into freezing overnight on Sunday.
There were no power outages in buildings nearby due to the break.
City officials say the water is safe to consume, but they are advising residents to run taps until the water is clear if there is turbidity.
