Ambulances head elsewhere as major water main break leaves MUHC with no potable water

A water main ruptured near the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Glen site overnight Thursday, leaving the hospital with no potable water early Friday. 

Hospital officials said in an urgent news release that they were diverting ambulances to other hospitals and asking people with outpatient or surgical appointments to avoid the site. 

Water poured into the street on Décarie Boulevard and pooled under the train overpass next the hospital.

By mid-morning, the hospital still had low water pressure and officials were urging people to avoid coming to the MUHC ER and the ER at the Montreal Children's Hospital. 

All surgeries, except emergency surgeries, were cancelled or transferred to other hospitals. The postponement of surgeries and other medical appointments affects hundreds of patients, according to a hospital spokesperson. 

The majority of chemotherapy appointments were to go on, however.

The water issue affected all MUHC facilities at the Glen site, including the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Cedars Cancer Centre, the Montreal Chest Institute, the Montreal Children's Hospital and the Research Institute of the MUHC.

"Our priority is to ensure the safety of patients and staff at the affected facilities," the hospital's news release said. "We are working with the City of Montreal to restore the situation as quickly as possible."

An internal hospital memo obtained by CBC said bottled water was being delivered and instructed staff to refrain from using most bathrooms. 

Philippe Sabourin, a spokesperson for the City of Montreal, said workers were able to stem the flow of water leaking into the street around 7 a.m. and they were working to re-establish a water connection to the hospital. 

He said drivers should avoid the area.