Eastern Montreal boil-water advisory expected to last through the weekend after water main break
Homes, businesses near Jacques-Cartier Bridge flooded
Things are returning to normal after a major water main break flooded parts of south-central Montreal near the Jacques-Cartier Bridge on Friday morning.
But those whose homes and businesses were flooded are now dealing with the damage and a boil-water advisory is expected to continue into the weekend.
The break in the water main created a massive geyser on René-Lévesque Boulevard, east of de Lorimier Avenue, just before 6 a.m.
The water rushed into nearby streets, flooding around 50 residences and 20 businesses, according to the city.
Major arteries like Notre-Dame Street, René-Lévesque and de Lorimier were closed soon after the water main erupted.
The water main break was under control by the early afternoon, and the closed streets were reopened in the late afternoon.
A preventive boil-water advisory is in place for the eastern half of the island of Montreal south of Sherbrooke Street, including Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles and Montréal-Est.
About 150,000 residents are affected by the boil-water advisory, with many in eastern Montreal seeing a drop in water pressure. Maja Vodanovic, in charge of waterworks on the city's executive committee, told CBC Montreal's Let's Go that the boil-water advisory will likely remain in effect until Sunday.
Some 13,500 Hydro-Québec customers lost power. By Friday afternoon, power was largely restored.
When the accumulation was at its peak, water was seen flowing from the street into the St. Lawrence River.
During a morning news conference, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante urged everyone to avoid the area for the rest of the day. After dealing with flooding from torrential rains a week earlier, she added, "it's really hard on citizens mentally and physically."
Late Friday afternoon after the flooding had receded, Plante said the city is now working to "figure out what happened" to the two-metre-wide drinking water conduit. She said the pipe was installed in 1984, but they normally have an average lifespan of 100 years.
Plante said all of the city's water pipes are under observation and crews are constantly checking if repairs are needed. A special garbage collection will take place this weekend to collect debris from the victims.
The Ville-Marie borough council office is open Friday to people who are affected by the water main break.
Quebec Premier François Legault said in a news conference Friday that the province had offered to help the city if needed.
Bus routes affected
The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) said several routes have been affected, namely the 10, 15, 45, 150, 410 and 430 buses.
Papineau Metro station was still functional, but precautionary measures like the installation of sand bags were taken.
Montreal fire department Chief Martin Guilbault said nearby buildings were evacuated to make sure everyone was safe. He said it's too early to know what caused the break.
A city spokesperson said three residents were unable to return home, and have been offered care from the Red Cross.
Residents, businesses suffer losses
Eugene Shaeelmikov lives in the are and went out to get pastries for breakfast when he saw the chaos on the street.
"I'm definitely sure my neighbours will be thrilled to know what's going on," said Shaeelmikov, whose apartment and garage are underground.
The La Morin mustard company, located at the corner of Notre-Dame and Papineau streets, was completely flooded.
Owner Julien Morin described the situation as catastrophic, with losses expected to reach $1 million.
"We managed to save some machines, but all the stock intended for distribution was lost," he said.
He said about 10 other companies share his floor and are all in a similar situation.
"The question we have is that, at this time, still no one has come," Morin told Radio-Canada Friday afternoon. "We have not had any support from the city. There is not a fire truck or a police officer who has come."
Just last month, another water main broke near the McGill University Hospital Centre, causing major disruptions in the west-central part of the city.
The city's committee on water, the environment, sustainable development and large parks released a report in February that recommended Montreal develop a funding plan to update its aging infrastructure as soon as possible.
With files from Sara Eldabaa, CBC Montreal's Daybreak and Radio-Canada's Sarah Déry