The cause of a ruptured water main that forced some residents to be evacuated from their flooded homes is still unknown.
Shortly before midnight on Thursday, Feb. 13, a Metro Vancouver water main ruptured near 240 Francis Way, affecting locations on Francis Way and Jamieson Court. For hours, water poured out of the three-foot diameter pipe, flooding basements, elevator shafts, parkades and cars in some buildings in the neighbourhood, as well as roads including East Columbia Street.
“Repairs are underway and expected to take a few weeks,” said Metro Vancouver in a Feb. 19 statement to the Record. “In the meantime, all properties have water and there are no pressure or quality concerns.”
According to Metro Vancouver, the cause of the ruptured main has not yet been determined.
No estimate on the cost of this incident has been determined.
Crews have begun repairs on the broken water main in New Westminster. We continue to support @New_Westminster’s work on remediation and cleanup. Thank you to everyone for their patience as these repairs continue over the coming days. pic.twitter.com/On9aiEf83l
— Metro Vancouver (@MetroVancouver) February 17, 2025
Gabe Beliveau, the city’s senior manager of public works, said employees from several City of New Westminster departments responded to the incident, including public works, electrical, engineering, building and New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services.
“It was a great demonstration of city staff and resources working together under difficult and dynamic circumstances to support each other and the community,” he said in an email to the Record.
In a photo posted to social media, an appreciative resident could be seen handing out sandwiches to crews responding to the incident.
Beliveau said New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services responded to the initial calls for support and its crews “worked diligently” throughout the long weekend to support residents.
“All of the fire management team were involved in the initial response and supported the incident at the site,” he said. “An emergency operations centre located at the Glenbrook Fire Hall was activated early to provide co-ordination for all the response staff.”
Off-duty fire suppression staff were called out to help manage the incident, protect vulnerable properties and respond to other calls for service in the city, Beliveau said.
Early on in the incident, Beliveau said public works staff were asked to provide technical support and a prioritized focus towards flood mitigation.
“Two dozen staff members supported the response and remediation in varying degrees,” he said. “Work included the initial response and investigation, water main isolation for the affected zone, adjusting water system valves to ensure adequate pressure throughout the city, continued flood response and mitigation, and then recovery and restoration.”
According to Beliveau, the incident has now moved from the response phase to the recovery phase.
“Private contractors are now working with insurers to restore services to the impacted areas,” he said.
Beliveau said public works’ current priority is to monitor the water distribution system to ensure the city maintains adequate pressure through the zones as best as possible.
“This work requires significant finesse and caution,” he said.
The Record has reached out to the city’s emergency management office for an update on the displaced residents.
Because the burst water main caused water to flow into the basements of two highrises, electricity in those buildings had to be turned off until the electrical rooms could be made safe, explained Mayor Patrick Johnstone in a Feb. 14 Facebook post.
At the time of the incident, the fire department told the Record about 50 residents had to be evacuated from their homes.
A Feb. 16 update posted to the City of New Westminster’s website stated:
- Residents of first-floor units in 225 Francis Way were permitted to return to their home to collect belongings. At that time, it was unknown if they would be able to remain in the building, as an engineer was assessing the situation.
- Residents living above the first floor in 225 Francis Way were able to remain in their homes.
- All residents of 245 Francis Way were able to return home.
- Power had been restored to 69 and 71 Jamieson Court, but the Feb. 16 update said elevators could be out of service for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, until repairs can be completed.
“There will be no access to the parkade for the next few days. Strata is working on an alternative option for parking,” said the update on the city’s website. “Jamieson Court is restricted to essential traffic only. Residents should be aware that vehicle access will be extremely challenging while crews are still on the scene continuing repair work.”
