Bushwakker reopens after two-week closure caused by water main break

After being closed for repairs, Bushwakker Brew Pub has reopened following a water main break that disrupted operations downtown. Wayne Mantyka has more.

Bushwakker Brewpub welcomed back eager guests on Thursday after a two week closure due to a city waterline break that forced the business to shut down.

“I actually come here back home once a year and found out that it was closed down before I got here, so I was really looking forward to it,” customer Tyler Rosewood said.

The reopening came just hours after a city contractor completed repairs and restored the streetscape on Canada Day.

Bushwakker was forced to close for two weeks after a city water line broke outside its Dewdney Avenue building. A $33 million street revitalization project was completed last fall which included replacement of underground mainlines but not pipes connecting to buildings.

The restaurant says it’s one of the city’s old pipes that failed.

• Bushwakker Brewpub flooded after major plumbing issue on Dewdney Avenue

“Where we are standing right now, we would have been in four inches of mud two weeks ago,” said Grant Frew, marketing manager for Bushwakker Brewpub. “There’s been a lot of cleanup here, but you can still see where the concrete heaved where all of the water came in.”

The restaurant says it was frustrated it took about three hours for the water to be shut off, alleging a shutoff valve had been relocated during construction and city crews initially did not know its new location.

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Despite that, Frew praised the contractor’s work restoring the street.

“I think it looks great. To see the beautiful pavers back in position and Dewdney Avenue looking like it did on June 16, it’s wonderful,” he said.

There is still a lot of work to be done behind the scenes but there is a lot of stock on hand to make it through the summer season. The reopening also means the brewery’s anticipated Blackberry Mead release will go ahead as planned on July 4.