BUSINESS owners in Central Lonsdale were hit with a wave of problems Wednesday after a water main burst at Lonsdale Avenue and 17th Street.
The North Vancouver thoroughfare was shut down between 17th and 15th Streets for several hours around midday when a torrent of water spilled from the ruptured pipe at a site where city crews have been working for the past few weeks.
The water poured down the street, over the east sidewalk and into the shops and restaurants lining the busy commercial artery.
Jeff Joy described several inches of water rushing into his restaurant, Hanugin Mongolian BBQ, while the tap water turned to a brown sludge, forcing him to close right in the middle of the lunchtime rush.
He said the business had already suffered from ongoing midday construction outside his shop, but this means he could be out of service for a few days.
"My revenue is going to be kaput," he said. "We actually had customers leaving the restaurant when the flood started coming in the door. It was ankle deep."
The impact trickled down to as many as 10 businesses on the strip, according to the city. At La Zuppa near 15th Street, owner Juan Carlos Paez was busy mopping up the last of the water at 3 p.m. He said it had spread to about a meter inside his store, but that he had stopped it by building a dyke out of rags and floor mats. His restaurant stayed open, but the lunch crowd stayed away, he said.
"It's been dead," said Paez. "They closed the street there, and nobody was coming in. People just didn't go out."
Next door, Fereidoon Nayebzadeh was at work preparing a new Iranian teahouse planned for his commercial space when he heard the noise of water dripping from the ceiling and the light fixtures. Only partway through finishing the renovations, he's been told he may have to take out drywall on one side of the store to complete repairs, but hasn't had a close look yet at the damage.
"The plan was (to open) for Nov. 1, but with this I don't know."
City spokeswoman Connie Rabold said staff have been in touch with business owners, asking them to contact their insurance providers who will then contact the city to work out an agreement to cover costs from water damage.
In the meantime, fire crews assisted the businesses with initial cleanup and the city has brought in a restoration company, she said. An adjuster will meet with businesses to follow up on what to do next.
"As for estimated costs and expenses, it's too early at this time to determine damages or associated costs," she said.
