A vehicle struck the fire hydrant at the intersection on New Year’s Day, resulting in street flooding, followed by four water main breaks and a leaking valve.
In a release, the city detailed the complications of the project, noting that repairs can sometimes lead to surprises.
“With aging infrastructure and the winter cold, crews exercise patience, especially at the point the water pressure is turned back on, following repair,” the release reads.
“The pressure alone can cause the old pipes to break, which is exactly what happened. Many times a project can result in a chain reaction -- a single fix could turn into weeks of repairs.”
The city maintains more than 209 kilometres of water mains.
“In 2011, city workers repaired 32 water main breaks, and of the approximate 15,000 services in the city, an additional 116 water service breaks required attention,” the release reads.
“Aging infrastructure cannot be seen until something happens to it. Then it becomes a beast of its own until we can get it repaired properly,” said Randy Antoniuk, collection and distribution manager for public works.
