Clarence-Rockland council received a report during its regular meeting on November 15 regarding the water main break on Du Parc Avenue.
The break occurred on August 30 around 4 a.m. and resulted in the Rockland water tower completely emptying in just 30 minutes. About 4500 cubic metres of water spewed out of the break before it was found and isolated around 6:30 a.m. Water was diverted from the Bouvier water tower to maintain water pressure in the town.
The damage extended 185 metres along Du Parc Avenue, and 1,600 cubic metres of asphalt was disturbed because of the water. Crews dug up the street in front of École Secondaire Catholique L’Escale as the gravel subbase had to be replaced before the asphalt could be repaved, and residents on Du Parc Avenue were without water for three hours while the break was fixed.
The break happened longitudinally, going lengthwise down the pipe instead of being straight across it, and was quite close to the water tower; the proximity of the break to the water tower is what caused such a rapid emptying. If it were further away, the water level would have seen minimal impact. A visual inspection of the break yielded no conclusions as to why the break occurred.
The cost of the break totalled $176,000 plus HST, which will be taken from the $2,200,000 in the water reserve as of November 9. The city is in the process of updating the Drinking Water Master Plan, and an operational review of the water system is planned.
