Fountain beside Montreal City Hall doesn't work 2 weeks after $13M upgrade

A $13-million fountain, upgraded as part of Montreal's 375th anniversary celebrations, has stopped working just over two weeks after being inaugurated.

The fountain in Place Vauquelin beside Montreal City Hall stopped working Friday and the water in it has been stagnating and turning yellow since.

The city says a pipe that feeds the new fountain burst and flooded a basement in city hall.

"I feel really disappointed. I'm the most disappointed Montrealer considering what happened with this fountain," said city Coun. Richard Bergeron, who was involved with bringing the project to fruition.

There was no damage to city hall since the few inches of water flooded a cement basement that is used as a garage, said Bergeron.

The exact cause of the breakdown is proving hard to pinpoint during summer holidays, he explained.

"It's a big job to contact the people who planned the system, who built it, and the civil servants who worked on the project. So right now we don't know."

The city says water is expected to begin flowing again Friday, but the fountain won't be fully functional for weeks.

In a news release from late June, when the fountain was inaugurated, Mayor Denis Coderre vaunted the project.

"The new Place Vauquelin is innovative, interactive, connected and exemplary. Its renovation meets high standards of heritage promotion, safety, design, quality of materials and execution."

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