A southwest Calgary community that saw major flooding after a water main break late last month is grappling with a massive hole in the ground. Fire crews were called to the area of Coach Hill Road and Coach Gate Way on May 26 after a water main break caused water to flood and pool in the street. That flooding ended up damaging the roadway, causing a sinkhole that continues to grow. For Karen Lascu, the growing sinkhole in front of her house has meant she and her family have had to haul groceries home from their car a block away. “It’s been very trying for us because we’ve had this for two weeks,” Lascu told CTV News on Monday. “The hole keeps getting bigger and bigger and it doesn’t seem like there’s a fix for it.” Lascu says city crews first promised that the sinkhole would be fixed in four days after the water main break caused damage to the road. Instead, her home was without water for six days after heavy rain in the Calgary area forced city crews to pause work on repairs. During that time, what Lascu says started as a “bubble” of a hole has grown into a “huge” crater about 20 feet across that is continuing to expand as city crews have yet to resume repair efforts. “I don’t know when it’s going to be fixed ever again,” she said. “It’s very frustrating.” Area resident David Labindao is also frustrated with the situation. He recalls finding the crater after the water main break and says it has expanded in size since then. He says the sinkhole is located very close to a gas line, which is likely further complicating the city’s repair efforts. “It’s very complex. I don’t think it’s going to be done in a month. I think it’s going to be several months before it’s done,” Labindao said. Nonetheless, the water main break and sinkhole fallout has shaken his confidence in the city’s infrastructure. “I just go back to ‘what the hell is happening with the City of Calgary and all the infrastructure that we have,’ because in the last three years we’ve had several reports of main water breaks and it’s not getting any better,” he said. “The question you’re gong to ask yourself is ‘when and where is the next one?’ It just seems inevitable that this is going to happen somewhere else in the city.”
