Crews begin assessing the damage on Meredith Rd. early Tuesday morning after a second water main break in the same location in as many days. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

underground issues

Homes damaged as Nanaimo street experiences second water main break in three days

Aug 22, 2023 | 10:18 AM

NANAIMO — For the second time this week, a water main along a central Nanaimo street has burst.

Residents along Meredith Rd., near Bowen Rd. were awoken again in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Aug. 22 with water rushing down a hill from the burst pipe. The failure sent a considerable amount of water down Meredith Rd. and neighbouring Hawkes Turnaround.

John Elliot, City director of public works, told NanaimoNewsNOW the 150-millimetre main is a difficult repair as the pipe sits roughly three metres underground due to the hill. Tuesday’s event followed an initial break around midnight on Sunday, Aug. 20.

“After the first break, it will quite often remove bedding from around the pipe and the pipe can be susceptible to a second break which is what happened. Quite a bit of water escaped and got into a few houses.”

Mud and debris spilled down Hawkes Turnaround for around 100 metres and into at least two homes. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Crews worked throughout Tuesday to repair the damage.

“They’ve cut out a piece of damaged pipe and they’ve replaced it with a new piece of pipe. We’re building a project to replace that section of main from Bowen Rd. up to Beverly Dr.”

Elliot said they’re hoping to return next week to pave the sidewalk and repair damage to the road’s surface.

The area was not in the City’s five-year capital plan according to Elliot, however he said the condition of the pipe indicated it needs to be replaced.

At least two homes on Hawkes Turnaround were affected by water while others had some landscaping damage.

One sits right on the corner of Hawkes and Meredith Rd., while another on Hawkes Turnaround was in the path of flowing water downhill.

City of Nanaimo crews went door to door Tuesday morning to assess how many houses had been affected.

Traffic was shut down from Spencer Rd. to Beverly Dr. from 8:30 a.m. until just after 4 p.m., with local traffic allowed through but through traffic diverted away.

Darker asphalt on the left was laid Sunday after the initial burst at the corner of Meredith Rd. and Hawkes Turnaround. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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