Construction blunder fills homes with grout

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This article was published 04/06/2021 (1588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Residents of Semple Avenue were stunned to find pools of grout in their basements following a construction job error the last weekend of May.

“(I was in) complete shock. I went downstairs and I thought, ‘Oh, the sewer backed up.’ And then we quickly realized it wasn’t sewer water, that it was (grout) coming in through our sewer drains,” Kaitlin Bialek told The Times on May 31.

The City of Winnipeg had hired a contractor to install a new land drainage sewer trunk shaft at the intersection of Semple Avenue and Scotia Street.

“On (Sat., May 29), a contractor hired by the City was grouting the trunk shaft, when a breach of the combined sewer occurred. This breach allowed grout to enter the sewer services of some homes. In response, crews have cleaned the combined sewer in the area, and are currently investigating its condition,” a city spokesperson said in an email.

Grout is generally a slurry of water, cement, and sand.

At press time, the cause of the breach was under investigation. The repair to the breach is expected to be completed by mid-June. At least 12 homes were affected.

Bialek said the incident caused moisture damage to the drywall, and the bathroom door and floor must be replaced. She’s worried about what kind of long-term effects this may have on the local infrastructure.

But, she said, other houses were left in worse condition than her family’s.

Across the street from Bialek, Dan Jack waited on the front steps of his son’s house for an insurance representative to arrive.

Dan’s son, Fraser, works in Snow Lake, Man., three weeks on, one week off, every month. He was up north when the incident occured. A neighbour had contacted Dan about the issue.

“I came in and saw this complete mess,” Dan said.

Grout three inches high covered the basement; the slurry flooded the main floor, overflowed the toilet and Jacuzzi tub, leaked into the vents and furnace, and pooled outside the home, as well.

Fraser took the house over from his grandmother about a year ago and had been in the middle of renovating the space. He returned to Winnipeg on May 31, after finishing just five days of his three-week stint in Snow Lake. He said he’s currently losing wages to handle the ordeal and doesn’t know when he’ll be able to return to work. He hopes to recuperate some of his missed pay from the city.

“I don’t even know how to describe the feeling — in shock, a little disappointed,” Fraser said. “I could be losing a lot.”

Dan, who works in construction, said he’s concerned about who will take responsibility for the issue — the city, the contractor, or the insurance company — and when.

“This isn’t my problem, this is their problem,” he said. “I think everybody’s going to be playing duck the bullet here right away, because there (are) too many companies involved.”

The city said homeowners can submit claims to 311 city services.

“In the event that a property owner has damaged property, residents should first contact their insurance representative for advice on how to handle their loss and take measures to protect their property from further damage. If a resident believes the City, or a contractor working on the City’s behalf, is responsible, they may choose to submit a claim to the City.”

Bialek and Fraser both said they had not been notified about the initial construction project.

The city spokesperson said, however, “residents in the area around the trunk shaft location (were notified) prior to the start of construction.”

Fraser and Bialek each received a notice dated May 30, 2021 — the day after the incident. It outlines the sewer separation work on Semple Avenue between Main and Scotia streets. The notice said the project began August 2020 and is expected to be completed August 2021.

“As a precaution, we ask that you monitor your wastewater sewer service for potential blockages to ensure that your service is draining freely,” the notice said. “An accumulation of water or rising water within your basement floor drain may indicate that there is a blockage.”