Watermain break from 145-year-old pipe turns east Hamilton neighbourhood into muddy river

A major watermain break in east Hamilton flooded homes and had a whole neighbourhood thinking “not again,” early Monday.

The cause of the break is unknown. However, the city said the pipe that broke is 145 years old. 

Around 2 a.m. Monday, residents of the area around Grace Avenue, near Woodward Avenue and Burlington Street East, woke to what at first sounded like heavy rain.

“We checked our cameras and then we saw buckets and flower pots just moving around in our backyard,” said Paul Phoumsavanh, a resident in the neighbourhood.

He said he knew “immediately” what was happening, because it wasn’t the first time.

In 2018, a very similar incident happened, a watermain break that flooded the whole neighbourhood, ruining backyards and basements. 

WATCH | Hamilton resident describes the impact of Monday’s watermain break: 

Grace Avenue neighbour in Hamilton describes how he noticed a watermain break

Paul Phoumsavanh was one of several neighbours in Parkview West in Hamilton who was affected by a major watermain break that flooded basements and knocked over fences.

Phoumsavanh said the first thing he did when he noticed the water was go to his basement. It was starting to flood.

“Water was coming through our walls, coming through the cracks in the seams from the sides and the rear of our house,” he said. 

“So we had to quickly start unplugging every appliance and every electronic we had in our basement.”

He and his family tried to save as much as they could, but they still had furniture and electronics impacted by the flood. 

Outside, the muddy water was around a foot deep and had a strong current, CBC Hamilton heard from neighbours and saw in videos shared by residents. Late Monday morning, the water was mostly gone, but mud and debris were scattered at least a couple of blocks out from the watermain break on Grace Avenue. 

Most streets around the intersection of Grace Avenue and Dunn Avenue were cleared by late Monday morning. (Aura Carreño Rosas/CBC)Pipe that broke scheduled to be replaced in 2028-2029

Judy Buchanan has been living in a home in the area for 17 years. She said she’s “disappointed in the city” for letting this happen again. 

She said back in 2018 when the pipe broke for the first time, the city said it was “just an old pipe.”

“We thought that they fixed it and they didn’t,” said Buchanan.

Shane McCauley, director of water and wastewater operations with the City of Hamilton, told CBC Hamilton while the 145-year-old pipe that broke was the same, the section was different.

Debris from the watermain break on Grace Avenue could be found two blocks away from where the pipe broke. (Aura Carreño Rosas/CBC)

He said in 2018, the city replaced a full section of the watermain, and will do the same for this section.

“We can understand how upsetting it is and disruptive for the residents, their families that have been affected. And certainly on behalf of the city, I’d like to express our concern,” said McCauley.

“We take incidents like this very seriously. But I do recognize that this is a significant break in this area.”

He said the city is working on going door to door and has spoken with over 100 neighbours so far, 20 of which “had been affected in some way.”

Buchanan said she was woken up at three in the morning by a neighbour who explained what was going on. 

She said she doesn’t know the full extent of the damage yet, but the current of muddy water moved her backyard furniture and ruined everything in her shed, including a lawnmower, snowblower, golfing equipment and more.

“It’s been a long morning already,” she said. Buchanan’s backyard and her plants were also filled with mud. 

Shane McCauley, director of water and wastewater operations with the City of Hamilton, said the pipe that broke is from 1880. (Aura Carreño Rosas/CBC)

McCauley explained the muddy water is due to how deep the pipes are in the ground. 

“It’s a big watermain. Almost two feet in diameter, and it’s under a lot of pressure,” he said. 

“It’s a large quantity of water that comes out, and all the mud just flows with it, leaving a hole in the ground.”

The pipe, which is from 1880, is scheduled to be replaced in 2028-2029, said McCauley, as part of “major upgrades” to the water supply masterplan.