A lengthy delay in shutting down water during a weekend water main break was the reason that parts of the Plateau borough was encased in ice this weekend, according to Borough Mayor Luc Ferrandez
Ferrandez is pointing the finger at the city for failing to stop the flow in a timely manner.
"People start by saying it's the borough's fault," Ferrandez told CTV Montreal Monday. "What's really unfortunate is that Mayor Coderre retweeted right away: 'borough responsibility.' We reacted by saying: 'no, city responsibility.' So I think this game of blaming the Plateau for everything that's happened has to stop and we'll be happy to stop blaming the city in exchange."
The watery eruption left an area north of the Laurier metro station encased in ice but damage to homes was minimal, although TV host Guy A. Lepage did not hesitate to blame the borough for the damage done to his basement.
Le maire @LucFerrandez n'avait pas déglacé. Une borne fontaine a cédé. L'égout était bloqué. Mon sous-sol inondé. Champion. #viedeplateau
— Guy A Lepage (@guyalepage) January 31, 2015
Ferrandez said that there was no connection between the flood and the recent decision not to clear certain streets following a snowfall.
Ferrandez also suggested that the same pipe has been a chronic freezing problem but a city representative told CTV Montreal that the pipe should be good for another 30 years and that city workers responded to the problem as swiftly as possible.
The sector remained closed Monday morning. The break occurred at 2:45 a.m. Saturday and flooded the area at the intersection of Berri St. and St-Joseph Blvd., flowing onto Mont-Royal Ave. a block south.
As water came spilling out, the pipe was not shut off until five hours later, at 8 a.m. Saturday morning.
The intense cold made the cleanup operation difficult as city workers attempted to cap the leak while water quickly turned to ice.
The break caused significant damage. Borough mayor Luc Ferrandez said the water main leaked for several hours and he blamed the city centre for taking three hours before drawing a plan to cut the water.
According to the borough, the water main was supposed to be fixed two years ago.
Ferrandez also explained they are doing everything possible to fix the problem.
The borough mayor was under fire last week for the lack of snow removal in the Plateau. Ever since, residents have been complaining on Twitter that the borough dropped the ball, but Ferrandez responded it was the city centre who made things worse:
@guyalepage Par contre grosse responsabilité de la ville-centre qui reporte les travaux sur cette conduite St-Joseph depuis 2 ans 2/2
— Luc Ferrandez (@LucFerrandez) February 1, 2015
