Water-main breaks plague north Edmonton home

People are being urged to conserve water in Edmonton right now, but a north-side resident says he has more than his property can handle.

A recurring water-main break has flooded the yard, garage and basement of Chris Cherneske's home multiple times.

"It actually filled my garage with about eight inches of mud and water," Cherneske told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday about the latest break that has flooded his Kensington property.

He now wonders if he'll be soaked for damages if it happens again.

The problem with the Epcor water main near his house has caused three floods over the last three years, the biggest one occurring two years ago and causing $70,000 to $80,000 in damage.

Cherneske says he's worried his insurance company will discontinue his coverage if it keeps happening.

He said their advice to him is to find a way to keep the water out.

"I’ve been told to sandbag my property and protect my house from water," Cherneske said.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada says if Cherneske's property keeps flooding, he could be on his own, a spokesperson told CTV News Edmonton in part.

"Insurance covers sudden and unexpected events," the insurance bureau said in a statement to CTV News Edmonton.

"In this situation, where water has repeatedly entered the home, this would not be considered sudden and/or unexpected. Therefore, coverage would likely not apply until the water main is fixed."

Epcor tells CTV News Edmonton it recognizes the continual breaks are an issue and that sections of the water main have been identified for "priority placement," but that any work will have to wait for the spring thaw.

"We understand this resident’s frustration and can confirm there have been multiple main break repairs at this location," Epcor said in a statement to CTV News Edmonton.

"The water main north of 133 Avenue and east of 118 Street was installed in 1962 and is made of cast iron, which breaks more frequently than other materials due to different factors like the freeze/thaw cycle, ground disturbance, settlement and soil conditions."

Cherneske says he wants Epcor to fix the water main for good.

"They just continually put little patches and not do anything about it really," he said. "It is pretty disappointing."