Montreal officials knew water main was 'vulnerable,' analysis still underway

Montreal officials are continuing their analysis to find out what led to a massive water main break that caused immense flooding under the Jacques Cartier Bridge last Friday morning.

"It was an incredible scene," said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante at a press conference on Monday. "We all saw the water that was flying in the air."

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Following an inspection in 2018, city officials say they were made aware that the gigantic water main, at 84 inches in diameter, was "vulnerable."

"The information we had is we were able to wait for the next phase of inspection, which was planned later this fall," explains Chantal Morrisette, who is responsible for the city's water services.

She says the fact that the pipe burst prematurely reveals that corrosion was "more advanced than what we expected."

Meanwhile, the mayor notes that workers are still examining the burst pipe, which provides water to the entire east end of Montreal.

"It's been a difficult week for a lot of Montrealers throughout the island," she notes. "Our hope is really that Montrealers can recover as much as possible."

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In total, Plante says 100 people were forced from their homes, with 60 asking for support from the Red Cross and 50 experiencing flooding in their basements.

"The firefighters went to see them in the morning [on Friday] to evacuate them for safety," she said. "It was quite impressive that the firefighters were able to pump all the water and clean most of the basements."

City officials explain the next step is to order the parts needed to repair the pipe.

In the meantime, they say the roads, most notably the corner of De Lorimier Avenue and René-Lévesque Boulevard, will also be fixed to allow people to resume commuting.