10 homes damaged after water main break in North Vancouver

Massive cleanup underway in North Vancouver Could a flood in North Vancouver, caused by a water main break, have been prevented? Questions are being raised during the cleanup.

As many as 10 homes were damaged after a water main break sent torrents of water gushing through a North Vancouver neighbourhood overnight.

"Some people [are] frustrated," said Captain Kit Little, District of North Vancouver Fire.

"Not a nice way to wake up at 2:30 in the morning that your house is being flooded."

Homes downhill from Golf Drive and Fairway Drive near Deep Cove were affected, as city crews scrambled to get the water shut off.

Some homes were filled with several inches of waters, while others sustained damage to their yards.

Little said several of the homes had up to eight inches of water in their basement.

Mark Jefferson, whose home is below grade, says it appears water came in through the walls.

It is the third time in the past 15 months his home has flooded, and it's getting expensive.

"Costs you the insurance deductible, $2,000 each time, and your insurance goes up and then you have to live in a renovation each time," he told CTV Morning Live.

"We just can't go through this again. This is ridiculous."

Jefferson blames aging infrastructure for the break, saying the pipes are old and prone to bursting.

Neighbour Mark Morrisette said the road nearly caved in after the water main break.

"I managed to get my car and my brother's car out of the way before it got pretty bad. You can see the road cracked," he said.

Crews spent the morning repairing the main and cleaning up the damage left behind. The force of the break caused the cement to buckle on the street.

The city believes the pipe has been in place since the 1960s and say the cause of the "spontaneous" break is still unclear.

“The utilities crews will look today and determine if it’s something that needs to be bumped up on the list of priorities," said spokesperson Stephanie Smiley.

All of the water mains in the district are roughly the same age and all up for replacement, she added, saying new pipes will be put in place in the next decade.

With a report from CTV Morning Live’s Sheila Scott