Calgary

Northland Village watermain rupture turns parking lot into lake

A truck that was drilling under the parking lot at Northland Village Mall in northwest Calgary accidently caused a flood by bursting a watermain Wednesday morning.

Truck drilling for core samples accidentally ruptured pipe

A truck drilling for core samples in the parking lot at Northland Village Mall accidentally ruptured a water line early Wednesday morning in northwest Calgary. (Kyle Bakx/CBC)

A truck that was drilling under the parking lot at Northland Village Mall in northwest Calgary accidentally caused a flood by bursting a watermain Wednesday morning.

The southeast corner of the parking lot at Northland Village Mall became a lake early Wednesday morning. (Stacee Barton/CBC)

The truck was drilling for core samples to find out what materials were below the surface of the lot, officials said.

The rupture created a large, 15-25 centimetre puddle in the southeast corner of the parking lot. Some water seeped into the mall.

“We were able to get it stopped and city water services were able to shut down valves before it entered the mall substantially,” said Calgary Fire Department west district chief Dennis Graham. 

Store entrances were sandbagged to prevent any more water getting in. The mall is open for business. 

The cleanup is expected to take a few hours.