A wide swath of Kitchener dealt with low water pressure Tuesday morning following a break in an 18-inch water main.
By early afternoon, Kitchener Utilities said that fewer than 200 homes remained affected by the break. They were expected to have water services restored by late in the afternoon.
The break was discovered around 3:30 a.m., when a police officer found a large amount of water covering the intersection of Westmount and Highland roads.
It took until shortly after 7 a.m. before the break in the 51-year-old pipe was isolated and the water shut off.
By that point, a large amount of gravel had been washed out from below the sidewalk on Westmount.
Two city swimming pools were closed for part of the morning, and some procedures were put on hold at Grand River Hospital due to low water pressure.
Northbound lanes of Westmount were closed between Highland and Queen’s Boulevard.
As the afternoon rolled around, that stretch became fully closed to vehicles as a number were attempting to travel northbound in the southbound lanes.
Mike Scott manages a car dealership in the area. He says customers had a hard time bringing their vehicles in during the day.
“A lot of them are not happy,” he said.
City officials expected to have the water back on by 8 p.m. at all affected properties.
