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CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Mystery leak that forced Scarborough family from home spreads as city continues to investigate
Social Sharing A mystery leak that's forced a Scarborough family from their home for the past month appears to be spreading. Linda Mangalathu, her husband and two children discovered the flood in late April, but plumbers were unable to solve the problem, which grew for several days until the family was forced to move in with nearby relatives. Now, her next door neighbours, Bailey Panesar and his wife, report they too were flooded out by ankle deep water in their basement on May 24. "I was bringing up 20 or 30 buckets of water, running up and down the stairs," Panesar told CBC Toronto of the night his basement flooded. "Nothing helped." Across the street, a third homeowner on Shadowood Court, in the Highway 401 and Morningside Avenue area, said she began experiencing smelly, murky tap water just this week. "I'm nervous," Elenita Sarcilla told CBC Toronto. She said she's worried about what could become of her home after what happened to neighbour Mangalathu's property, which is still marred by a large and growing excavation in the middle of her front yard. That has now been expanded by contractors to include about a third of Panesar's driveway. City media relations manager Russell Baker said in an email that city crews are busy shoring up the pit in Managalathu's front yard, while trying to pin down a break in the storm sewer line that connects Mangathalu's house to the municipal sewer system. That clogged storm sewer pipe was discovered at the beginning of May, but contractors have told CBC Toronto there have been problems discovering exactly where the break is. Besides, they've said, there's no guarantee that the broken pipe is causing the flooding. City engineers are trying to determine the best way to find and repair the break in the pipe safely, says Baker. "Once the City's work on the utility infrastructure is complete, the City will complete restoration of the City's lands adjacent to the homeowner's property," Baker's email reads. As for the source of the water, Baker's email says it "appears to be groundwater." "It is the responsibility of the property owner to investigate and address any issues on the private side of the property," the email continues. Mangalathu told CBC Toronto this week that the problems have so far cost her about $50,000 and she expects that bill to rise to $70,000 once her contractor has filled in the hole in her front yard and repaired damage to neighbouring properties. That includes piles of asphalt and other construction debris on one neighbour's front yard and the damage done to Panesar's driveway. Mangalathu says only about $15,000 of that will be covered by her insurance company. Panesar said in his basement, minor flooding occurred around May 19 as contractors were excavating Mangalathu's yard next door, but quickly escalated to a serious flood over the next few days. He hired a plumbing contractor who helped pump the water out of his basement and shut off all the water to the house. Workers hired by his insurance company have now "demolished" his basement, he said, and he and his wife have moved into a hotel. All of his expenses so far have been covered by his insurance company, he said. "It was fun the first couple of nights," Panesar said of living in the hotel, "but now it's terrible. Takeout food for every meal of the day — it's definitely not a good feeling." He's also concerned about the future of the home he and his wife bought earlier this year. Although there is no water in the basement now, he worries about what will happen when the pumps are turned off and the water is turned on again. 'Complete mystery' "It's nowhere near wrapped up," he said. "It's a complete mystery." The neighbourhood's woes began on Mangalathu's property at the end of April, when she experienced something many Toronto homeowners are familiar with: a minor basement flood she initially thought required nothing more than a $300 plumber's visit. Workers discovered a leak in her sewer pipes and determined the storm sewer pipe had collapsed under the weight of wet soil —a problem they could not immediately fix, as the pipes extend out onto city property. Benjamin Sarault of Henry's Bobcat Service said he's established that the home's weeping tile system — a perforated pipe that circles a house to collect any underground water — is intact and delivering any water it catches into the storm pipe, as it should. But that damaged storm pipe could be spilling the water right back into the soil around the houses, he says. From there, the water could be making its way back through the foundation into the house, but he acknowledges that's just a guess. While Mangalathu waits for the outcome of the city's investigation and repairs, her costs are mounting and so is her stress level. She also says she's had to take time off from her job. "My life is paused; I don't know what to do next," she said Tuesday. "Frustration, stress, you name it.
CBC
23-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
How a $300 plumbing problem morphed into a $50K flooding bill
Linda Mangalathu's problems began with an issue many homeowners in Toronto are familiar with: a minor basement flood. Now, a little more than three weeks later, she's had to move out of her Scarborough house, her front yard is a construction zone, and neither her contractor nor the city have yet discovered the source of the water that's leaking into her home. Adding to her problems: the city on Wednesday deemed the structure of the house unsafe, thanks to all the excavation in the front yard. Her bill so far stands at $30,000 and could climb past $50,000, she's been told by her contractor — not including any additional costs to repair the house's structure. "Financially, emotionally, I'm stressed," says Mangalathu, who's lived in the Morningside-Highway 401 area house for 26 years. "I'm not able to sleep; it's heartbreaking." Mangalathu's problems began on April 29, when her son Shane noticed water coming up through the shower drain. That inconvenience led to a $300 visit from a plumber — a visit that she assumed would end the problem. It was just the beginning. The plumber told her the home's sewer lines were blocked somewhere between the house and the street, and that a contractor with expertise in uncovering buried pipes would have to be brought in to dig into her driveway. That, she was told, would be another $3,900. In the meantime, water also began appearing in her basement through a floor drain in the furnace room. By May 1, the entire basement was knee-deep in water, some of which was coming in through the foundation, the plumbing contractor told her later, and she was forced to move with her husband and two children, Shalia, 25, and Shane, 23, to her brother's home in Pickering. The contractor then brought in pumps to drain the basement and keep it relatively dry. Also on May 1, the contractor dug through her front yard down to the storm and sewer pipes, and determined that they had collapsed under the weight of wet soil — a problem he couldn't fix. Mangalathu tried more than a dozen plumbing contractors, none of whom felt confident that they could tackle a job of that magnitude, she says. They recommended a heavy equipment operator be brought in to excavate the entire front yard and replace the broken pipes, she says, even though no one knew for sure whether that was the source of the flooding. That's when Mangalathu contacted excavator Benjamin Sarault of Henry's Bobcat Service. By then, she knew the scope of her job was going to cost more money than she had saved. "I don't know how much in debt I will be," Mangalathu said. Sarault, who has been on the job for about two weeks, says he's established that the home's weeping tile system — a perforated pipe that circles a house to collect any underground water — is intact and delivering any water it catches into the storm pipe, as it should. But that damaged storm pipe could be spilling the water right back into the soil around the house, he says. From there, the water could be making its way back through the foundation into the basement — but he acknowledges that's just a guess. Sarault has now created a two-and-a-half-metre deep pit in Mangalathu's front yard to uncover the broken pipes. But he said in an interview Tuesday he can't fix the damaged section until the city shows up to fix its end, where the storm pipe connects to the city sewer system. City staff told CBC Toronto in an email Thursday they are investigating the situation, and are now on-site working to repair the city sewer pipe. So far, the city's email says, their crews have determined the leak is not coming from the city's water supply pipe to the house. Structural damage But on Wednesday, a city inspector examining the excavation delivered more bad news to Mangalathu. He told her all the construction work has damaged her house's foundation. The inspector gave her written notice that she had to hire an engineer and present a report on the damage to the city within 24 hours, an order that's added more stress to Mangalathu's situation, she says. "Where would I find an engineer?" she said. "What will that cost?" So far, she says, she's racked up $30,000 worth of bills. That will go up, she knows, as the final repairs to the pipes — and now, possibly, the house's structure — are done and her home's front yard is repaired. Sarault estimated she'll be facing a bill for $50,000 by the time all is said and done, not including any work ordered by the structural engineer. As of Thursday morning, she was canvassing her contractors looking for an engineer, without success. Closer to $70,000, homeowner predicts Mangalathu herself pegs the figure closer to $70,000, only about $15,000 of which will be covered by her insurance company, she says. She says she'll also have to compensate her neighbours, who've seen their front yards covered with piles of asphalt, earth and pumping equipment. Dilvir Kalsi, who's lived next door to Mangalathu for a decade, says she feels for her. "There's so much sympathy in our hearts for our neighbours," she says. "We feel so bad." As for the source of the water, city staff say they're investigating but there are no hidden underground streams in the area. 'Abandoned and desperate' Mangalathu has contacted Mayor Olivia Chow's office. A staff person replied telling her the problem is being investigated by Toronto Water. "We feel abandoned and desperate," Mangalathu told CBC Toronto. So desperate, she said earlier this week, she's considering moving — if she can find a buyer. "Maybe someone else will be able to fix it," she says. "Come buy my house." Daughter Shalia, an elementary school teacher, says she too has been feeling the strain.
