Classes were cancelled and buildings evacuated at McGill University on Jan. 28 after the McTavish Reservoir behind campus unexpectedly sprung a leak, flooding the campus and a large part of the downtown Montreal area.
The reservoir leaked 40,000 litres and turned the slope of Mount Royal into a river when a 48-inch water main broke at a downtown construction site, according to city officials. The break occurred while construction crews were conducting repairs on the century-old pipe, Montreal mayor Michael Applebaum said at a press conference.
While most of the leak was stopped within a few hours, water continued to flow from the reservoir through an eight-inch opening until early Jan. 30, according to Doug Sweet, director of internal communications at McGill.
Despite cleanup crews working all night, some morning classes were cancelled on Jan. 29. By the next day, all the water had been removed and classes in four buildings that were still being dried out were relocated, Sweet said.
“Getting around campus today is really tricky, one of the main entrances is completely blocked off and there is still water running down the street,” second-year nursing student Kathryn Jones said.
Engineering students in the McConnell Engineering Building saw the flood as an opportunity and used various materials, including salt bags, composting bins, and garbage bins filled with snow to redirect the water away from the building’s main entrance.
Students, staff, faculty and maintenance workers eventually joined the effort, building a dam outside the building that held strong against the deluge, Sweet said.
The building’s north entrance is closed, but classes are still taking place inside.
With a large portion of the water cleared Jan. 29, concerns shifted as the flood turned into an urban skating rink.
Two minor injuries were reported as of 7 p.m. Jan. 28 when pedestrians slipped and fell, according to city officials.
Officials are urging people to be careful on their commute to school and work, and to go slow on the icy streets downtown.
The incident has not affected the quality of the drinking water, which half a million Montrealers get from the McTavish Reservoir, city officials said.
Applebaum, who surveyed the cleanup operation, said most of the damage occurred below street level, and has had to be pumped out of the Place Ville Marie, a major office complex downtown. Water also poured into underground parking garages.
