Large area of Montreal under boil-water advisory after 'enormous' water main erupts
About 150,000 homes are under a boil-water advisory and multiple roads were closed after a massive water main break Friday morning in Montreal's Ville-Marie borough sent water spewing several metres into the air, flooding streets and basements.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante told reporters that it would likely take hours to repair the pipe, which she described as "enormous" at around a metre wide.
The city has put a boil-water advisory in place for three boroughs: Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Riviere-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles and the City of Montreal-East. A map of affected residences is available here.
The City of Montreal's website says residents should boil their water for at least a minute before consuming it.
Officials say a drop in water pressure within the distribution network triggered the advisory, which they called "preventative."
The City of Montreal issued a precautionary boil-water advisory in several boroughs after a major watermain break in the downtown area on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024. (Source: City of Montreal)
The water main broke around 6 a.m. on René-Lévesque Boulevard at De Lorimier Avenue, causing water to spill into the streets. About a half hour later, a massive geyser about 20 metres high had erupted.
Ankle-deep water spread through a significant portion of the neighbourhood as fast-moving floods washed across Notre-Dame Street to the south, and Ste. Catherine Street to the north, Papineau to the west, and through the neighbourhoods within.
The pipeline supplies water to the city's east end. The cause of the water main break is currently unknown.
By 10 a.m., the geyser had shrunk to about six feet high as the water started to recede. Plante said the situation was "under control" shortly before noon.
"Firefighters are going door-to-door, and they have ordered some to evacuate their homes and workplaces," said Plante. "The Red Cross is here to help people who need to relocate."
Firefighters say about 100 homes have been affected by the flooding.
Chantal Morrisette, who's responsible for the city's water services, says the pipe was transporting drinking water only, and that the water in the street does not pose a danger to residents.
Maxime Carignan Chagnon told The Canadian Press a "giant wall of water" gushed for about two hours. The rushing water was "very, very strong," he said, splashing as it crashed against lamp posts and trees. "It was truly impressive."
He said about two feet of water collected in his basement. "I heard some people had much, much more," he said.
A large water spout is seen in Montreal after a massive water main break flooded streets.
Residents were forced to vacate their homes to allow firefighters to assess any damage and pump out water from their basements.
"It's not only people who live in basements. It's people in buildings," said Plante, referring to apartment buildings in the area. Electricity has also been cut to several residences but most of the outages were over by the early evening hours.
A massive water main break sent water billowing into the streets near the Jacques Cartier Bridge on Aug. 16, 2024. (Daniel J. Rowe, CTV News)
Plan travel ahead
The STM said Friday it was rerouting bus lines and that service was still ongoing.
"Since the beginning of this situation, obviously, the bus network in this area was impacted. We're talking about lines number 10, 15, 34, 45, 150, 410, 430. Those lines do circulate in the perimeter of the actual situation," said Isabelle A. Tremblay, an STM spokesperson.
"We have the personnel on site. We have operational chiefs, as well as drivers, where our bus control center is coordinating everything. An hour ago, we stopped doing the shuttle with the 769 to go to La Ronde, and that's for an indeterminate period."
A person stands on cracked asphalt next to a geyser caused by a broken watermain on a street in Montreal, Friday, August 16, 2024, causing flooding in several streets of the area. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Trembaly urged all commuters to plan their trips ahead of time and to take the metro, which is not affected. The nearby Papineau metro station is still operational.
Drivers heading east through the Ville-Marie tunnel on Route 136 will have to leave at the Saint-Laurent Boulevard exit, and De Lorimier Avenue, Rene-Levesque Boulevard, Notre-Dame Street and Papineau Avenue all have closures due to flooding.
People are asked to avoid the area until the survey is complete, which could take "all day," said Plante.
Some offices, including CTV News Montreal, have instructed workers to stay home.
Plante said in a post on social media that the Red Cross has assisted some residents.
"If you have any questions or require resources related to this morning's event, please do not hesitate to contact our 311 agents. They are there to help you," said Plante.
- With files from The Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7033216.1726021317!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
FACT CHECK: A look at the false and misleading claims made during the Trump-Harris debate
In their first and perhaps only debate, former U.S. president Donald Trump and U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris described the state of the country in starkly different terms. As the two traded jabs, some old false and misleading claims emerged along with some new ones.
Singh not 'anxious' to launch election, says his top adviser
Jagmeet Singh's top adviser says the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election. But Anne McGrath, Singh's principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
Quebec woman wins MAID case to die at home after legal fight with landlord
A woman who requested medical assistance in dying (MAID) won a major case in front of the Quebec rental board. She wanted to die at home, but her landlord didn't want her to.
Key takeaways from a debate that featured tense clashes and closed with a Taylor Swift endorsement
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced each other on the debate stage for the first — and possibly the last — time.
Liberals put up united front after fractious summer at Nanaimo retreat
Liberal MPs will have one last chance to tell their leader how they think their party can improve their political prospects before they return to Ottawa to face off against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in the House of Commons.
Some restaurants have increased their default tip options. Canadians think you should give this much
Despite what the default options on the payment terminal might read, most Canadians still want to tip around 15 per cent, according to a new survey.
Parents fight for change after 13-year-old girl dies in B.C. homeless camp
Brianna McDonald's death was caused by a suspected overdose, according to her family. And her grieving parents are urging change so other families don’t have to face what they are going though.
'EI kind of folks': Cape Breton MP criticized for comment about Atlantic Canadians
Nova Scotia Liberal MP Jaime Battiste is taking some heat for a remark about Atlantic Canadians.
PwC plans to track employees' location while at work. Is this practice legal in Canada?
As PricewaterhouseCoopers plans to enforce its back-to-office policy by tracking employees in the U.K., one employment lawyer explains whether the practice is legal in Canada.