Broken water main causes flooding in Sudbury's Minnow Lake

Residents in Sudbury's Minnow Lake area are cleaning up after a water main broke over the weekend.

The burst happened on Saturday morning and flooded several homes.

Anastasia Rioux's basement recreation room and backyard were damaged by the water.

Early estimates show repairs could cost more than $50,000, she said. But it's the irreplaceable items that bother her the most.

“The baby pictures were submerged, but we were able to, piece-by-piece, put them out in front of our fireplace in our living room and overnight we were able to salvage quite a few.”

Numerous other household items have been declared a total loss, however.

"They had to cut our couch because it was so heavy and submerged in water that the couch has been cut up in pieces,” Rioux said.

“We have a hot tub in the backyard that's been condemned. Our furnace has been condemned."

Greater Sudbury general manager of infrastructure Tony Cecutti said residents may be eligible for compensation from the city.

But they're dealt with an on a case by case basis.

"We encourage residents to call us back as frequently as they need to until they get all the questions that they need answered,” he said.

Cecutti said the city is seeing more water main breaks than usual because of aging infrastructure and extreme cold weather. He noted the cause of the water main break near Rioux's house is still under investigation.

Sudbury city crews are still scrambling to fix water main breaks around town. Roads have been closed intermittently, and enough people have gone without running water that the city opened shower facilities this week.

For those who need to report a problem, phone 311.