Tens of thousands of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu residents remain without water

Main break leaves thousands without water A water main break in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu left thousands of residents without water.

Thousands of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu residents will be without water for at least another day.

The city said on Thursday that repair work on the water main break will continue on Thursday and that the over 50,000 residents in around 26,000 homes, businesses, and institutions will remain without water.

"Over the next few hours, a team of experts working on high-pressure pipes will weld the parts," the city said in a news release. "This is a meticulous execution that requires several hours. Then, civil engineering works will be necessary and will continue until midday Thursday."

The welding has been done on the broken pipe on Thursday morning and civil engineers are on site inspecting the work.

The city announced that a water main broke at the intersection of Saint-Jacques and Caldwell streets on Monday, affecting residents in the Saint-Jean, Acadia, and Saint Luke areas in the north of the city. The city cut the water off on Tuesday, and boil water advisories were issued.

A state of emergency was announced on Wednesday.

City workers set up on Boucher and Pierre-Caisse streets to hand out bottles of water. The city said that around 45,000 four-litre bottles have been distributed.

They will remain on site on Thursday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and residents are permitted two four-litre bottles of water per address per day.