
Montreal water main showed corrosion in years before break, official says
MONTREAL — Montreal city officials knew the major water main that burst last week and flooded a neighbourhood was showing signs of damage, but they thought there was still time before it needed to be repaired, the head of the city’s water service said Monday.
Chantal Morissette told reporters the city noticed the pipe was deteriorating during an inspection in 2017 or 2018. That type of pipe is prone to corrosion, she said, and a followup inspection was planned in the coming months.
“But the pipe burst before we arrived, so the corrosion was more advanced than what we suspected during the investigation,” she said.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said 50 buildings were flooded when millions of litres of water erupted onto city streets near the Jacques Cartier Bridge on Friday, and 16 households have asked the Red Cross for emergency housing.