A burst water main on Vancouver’s west side flooded a condo complex, sending water into basements and submerging vehicles in the underground parkade. Dominic Tomkowicz said he woke up Saturday morning to find nearly two feet of water filling his basement. “It was just an awful scene. It reminded me of a scene from a disaster movie,” Tomkowicz said. And it was even worse in the underground parkade. “The water was up to waist level,” Tomkowicz told CTV News. The City of Vancouver, in a statement, confirmed the flooding was caused by a watermain break near Yew Street and West 32nd Avenue. The pipe, installed in the 1960s, was not scheduled for replacement. According to the city, crews responded immediately, using sandbags and clearing catch basins, and the water main was repaired that afternoon. Still, Tomkowicz says the damage had already been done, adding that several tenants have had to temporarily relocate. He also thinks the city bears some responsibility for the flood and the ensuing damage “given that it was their water main that broke.” Tomkowicz says his family vehicle and two e-bikes, one valued at $4,000, were damaged. The building’s boiler also had to be replaced. “This is quite a big inconvenience, to put it mildly,” he said. “There’s a lot of tension in the air as to whether insurance is going to cover all of the cost or some of the costs.” The City of Vancouver confirmed, in its statement, that roughly 15 cars were in the underground parkade when it flooded. While the city removed water from surrounding streets, Tomkowicz says the strata had to hire a private contractor to pump out the parkade. “It felt like a slap in the face, honestly, especially considering that we are taxpayers who pay our money to the city for services like this.” He says he’s grateful for the contractor’s help, but questions around compensation remain. “I just hope we can all move on from this and you know, get as much money back from this as possible.” The city’s statement said the cause of the water main break is still under investigation, saying contributing factors in incidents like these can include age and ground conditions. The city says it will assess the condition of the pipe as part of its review and thanked residents for their patience as crews worked to complete repairs.
