Water, water… bis
Water still dominates the news Monday.
TVA says the water main that broke on August 16 was set to be inspected this October. CTV alleges that city officials knew the pipe was in dubious condition. Global reports that repairs to the pipe could take weeks.
Radio‑Canada says the water systems of both Montreal and Calgary badly need updating, and CTV reports on the possibility of permeable pavement to allow cities to soak up heavy rainfall.
CBC asks whether the hidden rivers of the island could offer clues about the city’s topography. It’s real human arrogance to think you can build on low land where a river used to be and expect never to see any consequences.
Parts of town are now plagued by piles of moldy furniture and other junk from the storm on August 9. Île Bizard took a pummeling that day.
bob 12:06 on 2024-08-19 Permalink
True fact: the River St. Pierre used to run under the Lachine Canal.
Maps in the 1890 Atlas of Montreal have a high water line marked along the shore of the St. Lawrence.
MarcG 13:10 on 2024-08-19 Permalink
On this map from 1815 it looks like there used to be a river where the Ville Marie is now, with plans to build a canal there. And here’s a cool map from 1825 that shows the newly built ‘La Chine Canal’, and the completed canal mentioned previously, along with a bunch of other rivers that no longer exist.
MarcG 13:17 on 2024-08-19 Permalink
There’s a street near me in Verdun named Rushbrooke that seems like an odd choice until you look at older maps like this one that show there used to be water along running there.
MarcG 10:24 on 2024-08-20 Permalink
Rushbrooke (with the e at the end) actually seems like an English surname so maybe it’s just a fun coincidence that Sir William Jeffrey Johnson Rushbrooke owned the land near the River St. Peter.