Water main breaks: How do Montreal boroughs stack up?
Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough most affected by burst pipes in all of Montreal
Water main breaks are a chronic problem in Montreal — each spring and fall, streets and basements are flooded by water gushing from the city's aging water infrastructure.
Here is a closer look at the issue:
Water main breaks by year
According to data obtained by Radio-Canada from the City of Montreal, there were a total of 958 broken water mains on its territory in 2014. That's the most in nearly a decade.
Across the city, 18 boroughs have each had more than 100 water breaks over the span of a decade.
Water main breaks by borough
Information obtained by Radio-Canada shows that Pierrefonds-Roxboro holds the top spot at 832 water main breaks between 2005-2014.
The areas most affected by water main breaks also include Ville-Marie and Mercier—Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
Residents in Outremont experienced the least amount of water main breaks at 56 reported issues.
Pierrefonds-Roxboro, the leader in water main breaks, has also spent the most amount of money on its aqueducts. From 2006-2014, the borough invested more than $35 million.
Who pays for the damage?
It all depends on where the flooding is located and which streets are affected.
The City of Montreal is financially responsible for major aqueducts in different boroughs.
Over $177 million was invested from 2006-2014 to fix principal water main breaks.
Individual boroughs oversee secondary pipes.
Roads most affected by water main breaks
Gouin Boulevard, a main artery in the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, had 228 water main breaks over the period.
In the borough of Villeray-St-Michel-Parc-Extension, 9th Avenue had 23 separate incidents of burst pipes.