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Oak Bay water main rupture and flooding - November 20th 2012


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#1 Mike K.

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 01:30 PM

VV forumer Bingo is on the scene right now snapping photos of the ruptured water main and subsequent flooding in Oak Bay's Bowker Street area. The flooding is apparently quite severe with many homes affected.

This photo was forwarded via cellphone courtesy of Bingo.


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#2 Mike K.

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 01:50 PM

Another photo has been passed our way by Bingo who was at the scene just moments ago.

Bingo writes: They haven't got it shut off yet, but it is contained and they are pumping out residents yards.


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#3 Baro

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 01:58 PM

Could the heavy rains have anything to do with this, or just a pipe giving up the ghost?
Yesterday I saw water shooting up a good foot out of the ground on Ross St the other day, was just coming out of the grass near the curb, no idea what caused it.
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#4 Bingo

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 02:46 PM

Could the heavy rains have anything to do with this, or just a pipe giving up the ghost?


I believe this is a water supply main that has broken. The break is now surrounded by sandbags and water is going into the storm drains via three open manholes.

They didn't appear to know how to shut the water off. Many of the properties along Bowker were flooded with about foot of water, and hydro was shutting off power to the area.

We need to worry about fixing some of this aging infrastructure, before we worry about sewage treatment plants.

#5 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 02:59 PM

They didn't appear to know how to shut the water off. Many of the properties along Bowker were flooded with about foot of water, and hydro was shutting off power to the area.

We need to worry about fixing some of this aging infrastructure, before we worry about sewage treatment plants.


Do we need to learn a little better where the shut-off valves are? Luckily this was right smack in the middle of a work-day, and public works crews and technicians/managers were readily available.

Stephen Andrew on CFAX said that someone reported work in the area yesterday, so maybe someone didn't leave that work area secured. Just speculation. I don't know how these water mains work. Look at the street view for that intersection though, lots of manholes.
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#6 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 03:11 PM

There is an update. Mayor Jensen says crews were replacing a fire hydrant, standard maintenance, when they likely caused, or movement caused the rupture in the main pipe. I bet I know what the next word was out of the mouths of the guys doing the work, and I'm guessing this forum would auto-censor it.

There is some seriously damaged homes here. Andrew reports talking to one couple that has only been in their home, their first home (hey, nice area for a first home!) for four months, and it's flooded up to 4 feet in parts.

Stephen Andrew reports that firemen were not called until 2.5 hours in, and he is very concerned. And a neighbor called them, not works crews. One neighbour was in a wheelchair and needed assistance moving to high water. Watch the 5pm CTV news for Stephen Andrews report, he is steamed (as he sometimes is).

I'll give the Mayor credit, he's on-screen talking to neighbours. He said he was late getting the word as today was a cell-phone change-over or upgrade day (he did not indicate for how much of the City Hall that was).
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#7 Mike K.

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 03:20 PM

Bingo has submitted additional photos taken within the last hour.























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#8 Bingo

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 03:24 PM

There is an update. Mayor Jensen says crews were replacing a fire hydrant, standard maintenance, when they likely caused, or movement caused the rupture in the main pipe.


If that is the case, you would think the crews would know how to shut the water off before removing a hydrant for replacement.

#9 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 03:40 PM

**

Some video:

http://twitter.yfrog...gusufjafsmsdbzz
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#10 Bingo

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 03:55 PM

Here is the photo posted by VHF on another thread at 12:56 pm.

The water is gushing out of the ground just to the left of the hydro pole and is running down Bowker and into basements, likely because at this point there are no sandbags surrounding the break in the main. The additional covers to the storm drains have also yet to be lifted at this point.

There doesn't appear to be any old fire hydrants lying around, but one hydrant is part of the sandbag dam later on.




From CTV ^

EDIT: an hour later and they still have not found the kill-switch.

#11 Bingo

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 04:24 PM

Do we need to learn a little better where the shut-off valves are? Look at the street view for that intersection though, lots of manholes.


Street view shows the fire hydrant, and all of the available manholes that later became the drains for the incoming water. It looks like there is quite a bit of patchwork on that section of road.

#12 manuel

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 06:24 PM

My wife works for Oak Bay. The phone changeover has been going on for the last few weeks - given that not all buildings are connected to the new system yet, I'm not surprised that the response took longer than normal. Wild that the mayor was affected too.
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#13 Bingo

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 06:44 PM

My wife works for Oak Bay. The phone changeover has been going on for the last few weeks - given that not all buildings are connected to the new system yet, I'm not surprised that the response took longer than normal. Wild that the mayor was affected too.


What phone changeover are you talking about? What system? Good grief what about cell coverage?

We found out about the Haida Gwai earthquake from the American's, mayby somebody should have called them.

The fire department is only a few blocks away. Were their phones not connected?

Sure glad we're PREPARED

#14 phx

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 07:24 PM

CFAX-1070 is reporting that they've got the water shut off now.

I don't know how it could have taken nine hours to shut the water off. :squint:

#15 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 08:00 PM

By about the third hour, they should have hit the kill-switch at the Mt Tolmie reservoir.

The good news is that Oak Bay gets billed for the water use, and it should not increase our rates so much now that we failed to save lots, as we are told to.
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#16 Baro

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 08:06 PM

Victoria needs more mini disasters like this to get our local governments, emergency services, and regular folk a little more prepared for when/if a real disaster occurs.
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#17 Holden West

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 08:07 PM

The worst thing is that this is affecting lower income people most, the people that live in basement suites. I bet most of them haven't bought tenant insurance. I hope they get a cut of the huge settlement Oak Bay will pay out.

By the way--hey Oak Bay--how's that anti-amalgamation argument working out for you? Isn't it interesting that two of Oak Bay's highest profile crisises over the last five years (this and the Lee murder/suicide) have been complete cluster****s?
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#18 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 08:27 PM

Here's another thing. At some point they must have realized they were going to ruin some homes, and it was clearly their fault. No doubt an accident, but they caused it.

So why did they not phone the rental places or large plumbing companies and get some damn pumps. It looks like all the homeowners and dwellers were left to fend for themselves, and they are no pump experts, the guys that caused the damage are. One guy saved his own home by going and getting some pumps. The others, I can't blame them for not knowing what to do.

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#19 Baro

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 08:37 PM

Utterly incompetent reaction by the "city". Should have plugged the leak with the Tinto rocks, or would that have required community consultation first?
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#20 Bingo

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 08:43 PM

The fire department has pumps, but they were not called for 2 hours. I'm sure Saanich has pumps, and so would the city, but they were not called in. Probably because the phones were not hooked up to "the new system".

Good thing it wasn't a 100 year old sewer line that broke. I don't think they are too concerned about replacing that stuff. They have treatment plants on their minds instead.

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