Large water main break damages several vehicles in Regina’s Lakeview neighbourhood

A major water main break over the Thanksgiving long weekend is causing headaches for some residents in Regina’s Lakeview neighbourhood.

The water main broke at the corner of Hill Avenue and Argyle Road around 5 a.m. on Monday.

“It was a little geyser. It was bubbling up … It would go down and then shoot up a foot or two at least,” said resident Saul Lipton.

“It was making a lot of noise and it just kept going and going.”

Lipton said the water flowed for several blocks and looked like a “river rippling” in the streets.

Residents on Allen Avenue appear to have experienced the most damage.

Water reached as high as vehicles’ wheel wells and set off car alarms, according to residents.

Several vehicles were towed away on Tuesday afternoon. Some residents told CTV News that they would be submitting two to three insurance claims—one for each of their vehicles that were parked on the street during the flooding.

“When the water comes out (of the water main), it comes out very quickly and when it can’t get into those storm drains, there is flooding that does happen on the streets,” said Kurtis Doney, Director of Waste, Water and Environment with the City of Regina.

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“This water main break was larger than our average water main break. It was a larger main.”

Doney said fallen leaves played a role in plugging the storm drains, which could have impacted the amount of water that flooded the streets. He encourages residents to proactively clear their storm drains throughout the year.

In any given year, the city can experience 200 to 400 water main breaks, Doney said. This year, from January to September, there have been 93 water main breaks with the majority taking place last month.

“We will see spikes when it’s extremely dry. The clay does shift and break the water main pipes,” Doney said, adding the cause of this break was shifting clay and aging infrastructure.

The city is not aware of any damage to homes due to the water main break, but Doney is encouraging any impacted residents to contact their insurance agencies.

The city is waiting to receive parts to repair the water main, which could take a few days.

In the meantime, Doney said valves have been shut off to isolate the water main, but services to homes and businesses will not be impacted.