The massive sinkhole that collapsed around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, has left businesses, homes and even a fire station without water.
"I couldn’t believe what it looked like and down the side street, it all came up in a lump. So it really looked bad this morning," said Ila Scherer who said she and her husband will be alright without water for a little bit. She managed to fill a few jugs of water at her daughter’s house Tuesday morning.
A section of Lancaster Street West at Hillview Street remains closed after an 18-inch regional water main burst - and there is no sign of it reopening until Thursday.
"All that water pressure will actually lift the road up – you can see sections of the road already lifted up – and you'll get chunks of asphalt that are washed away," said Tammer Gaber, the manager of operations with Kitchener Utilities.
He said the pipe that burst was a duct tile iron pipe dating back to 1938.
"This is one of the larger pipes in the area," Gaber said, adding that it is one of the bigger main breaks his crews have seen in the last two years.
He said that the water outage spans from Wellington Street all the way to Guelph Street, affecting 42 residential properties, a few businesses and the fire hall.
Gaber said that when this pipe burst, a piece of asphalt hit a six-inch pipe causing it burst as well. That pipe was put into the ground back in 1927.
"More than likely we’re dealing with two main breaks, not just one. So the blowout might have caused another break," he added.
Crews have spent all day cleaning nearby streets of the mess left behind by the sinkhole. Large piles of dirt accumulated soil that came from the sinkhole.
Residents affected by the break may not have water restored until about 5 a.m. Wednesday, said Gaber.
With reporting from CTV Kitchener’s Marc Venema
