A great sink has closed an intersection of the Esthero in Toronto and flooded at least four basements after a main water break on Wednesday night, says the city.
The city’s teams worked during the night and are still trying to avoid further floods and help residents impacted in the Coxwell Avenue and Cosburn Avenue area, the city said in an email to CBC Toronto.
The city is advising drivers to verify Your website Plan alternative routes in the area. The TTC said In publications on social networks that the 87 Cosburn and 70 O’Connor buses are taking deviations due to the repairs of sinks.
The intersection is expected to reopen on Monday, except for unforeseen circumstances, the city said. Until then, it will be closed to cars and transit, but will remain open for pedestrians.
‘Totally inadequate’ city response, the impacted resident says
The resident Tue Vu, whose basement was flooded by the main rupture of the water, says that the city took several hours to turn off the water.
“Another neighbor said he had called the city at 10 pm to inform the problem because he was happening to his dog,” Vu said. “Someone came, took photos and left … he took them until 4 in the morning to close the water.”
He said that the city’s response was “totally inappropriate” and that the city should be more receptive.
VU said his basement has several centimeters of wastewater backup.
Resident Matthew David says he saw a “river of water” west in Cosburn and south in Coxwell last night after a neighbor contacted the city. On Thursday morning, his wife discovered two centimeters of mud in the oven room.
“The carpet in the basement was like a sponge soap … but it only reached half,” David said. “Toronto’s water must have … turn off the water, but it seems that it did not happen for four or five hours.”
David says that he should have managed as an emergency response.
Both residents say they contacted the city to open a ticket, and someone was sent to take photos of their respective basements.
The city said the water was turned off when the main rupture of the water got worse.
“The emergency teams initially responded to a smaller break with a little water that ran into the nearby capture basin, but became more severe throughout the night, which led the teams to close the water to avoid more damage,” said the spokesman for the city, Krystal Carter, in an email to CBC Toronto.
Carter added that a proactive capital program has been established to “rehabilitate and replace the aging water network of Toronto”.
