City of Ottawa crews respond to 32 requests for water main leaks and breaks over Christmas holidays

Residents of Fanshaw Street have learned that a water main break in their neighbourhood won’t be fixed until Monday. CTV’s Kimberley Johnson reports.

Water main leaks and breaks are keeping City of Ottawa crews busy over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, with 32 service requests for leaking pipes over the past two weeks.

Residents in Alta Vista ward reported leaking pipes on two residential streets this week: on Blackstone Crescent and on Fanshaw Avenue. Photos sent to CTV News Ottawa showed water seeping out of the ground on Fanshaw Avenue, covering the road and driveway.

The city’s manager of Water Linear Systems says staff have been “actively responding to a number of water main breaks” recently.

“Over the past two weeks, the City has received 32 service requests reporting water main leaks and breaks. It’s important to note that these requests do not all represent water main breaks on public infrastructure, as further investigation may show that the leak is originating from a private water main or water service,” Carol Hall said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa Friday afternoon.

“City crews have been working around the clock, including through the holidays and in adverse winter weather conditions, to complete repairs as quickly and safely as possible while maintaining water quality and water service, and minimizing impacts to residents.”

Fanshaw Avenue resident Rachel Beausoleil-Morrison says she first noticed water in front of her neighbour’s driveway on New Year’s Eve.

“We thought, ‘oh, dear, that doesn’t look good,’” she says. “Then it started to run down the hill, obviously and it started forming in front of our house.”

While she and her neighbours still have running water, Beausoleil-Morrison says she found water filling up her driveway Friday afternoon.

“We couldn’t get out of our house basically without either going through water or climbing over the snowbank,” she said. “We said, ‘okay, we’ve got to make somebody know that this is not okay.’”

Coun. Marty Carr said in a Facebook post that the leak on Fanshaw is scheduled for crews to excavate on Monday.

“They will continue to monitor it until the repair is done.”

Those living on Fanshaw like Beausoleil-Morrison and her neighbour John Langstone say they hope the situation doesn’t worsen over the weekend.

“I’m mostly concerned about basements, and from the perspective of driving on it, the water then freezes underneath the car,” Langstone said.

Residents said the leak on Fanshaw was first spotted last May.

“It’s very frustrating that they knew about it in May, and now they’re telling us they’re busy with other jobs because it’s winter and water mains are breaking,” says Beausoleil-Morrison.

Hall confirmed to CTV News Ottawa a leak was detected in the pipe on Fanshaw last year during a routine leak survey.

“These surveys often detect very small leaks, which are prioritized for repair based on severity, location, potential impact on residents, water quality, and infrastructure condition. Urgent cases are addressed immediately,” Hall said.

“In this case, the Fanshaw Avenue leak recently increased in size, raising its priority. It is now in priority for repair and will be addressed as soon as possible, alongside other urgent water main breaks.”

The 32 service requests for water main leaks and breaks come amid a stretch of cold temperatures in Ottawa. Environment Canada said last month was the coldest December in Ottawa since 2017. Overnight lows this week have dropped below -20 C.

Hall recommends that if you notice water seeping from the ground, call 3-1-1 to ensure staff are “alerted and dispatched promptly.”

“When the city receives a report of a suspected broken water main, staff investigate and assess each situation to determine urgency and potential impacts on residents and water service,” Hall said.