Up to 1,000 homes and a school in Bolton without water after underground pipe damaged

Crews are on the scene of a watermain break in Bolton on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Chopper 24)

Up to 1,000 homes and a school in Bolton are without water after a contractor hit an underground pipe on Wednesday.

Elaine Gilliland, Peel Region’s water and wastewater operations director, told CTV News Toronto that they were notified about the incident around 10:30 a.m.

“On Colerain Road, there was a contractor out who was doing directional boring. So, they were boring underneath the road from the east side to the west side, and they hit our water main,” Gilliland said.

The affected pipe is 300 millimetres and supplies water to two subdivisions located on the east and west side of Coleraine Road.

“Right now, we’re calling it a repair, but we may have to replace the one piece of pipe. We’re anticipating it should be completed tomorrow around noon at the very latest," Gilliland said.

"We were pretty generous with our times. We said the repair could take up to 18 hours. We started around 1:30 this afternoon, so we’re hoping it takes a bit less than 18 hours and less than 24 hours," she added.

Gilliland noted that affected residents would be reimbursed up to $15 for water they purchased during the disruption.

Residents, Gilliland said, should keep their receipts and then send them to the region.

Mario Russo, the regional councillor who represents the area, acknowledged the region’s quick response to the incident.

“They’re trying to get it done as soon as possible and isolate it to specific areas if possible, so that they can get water service to some of the homes sooner rather than later,” said Mario Russo, the regional councillor who represents the area.

He encouraged residents to check on their neighbours who may need help.

“One of the beauties of Caledon is neighbours take care of neighbours. I got a call that actually informed me about this situation from a neighbour at 10:30 this morning. So, look out for your neighbours, be aware. And if there’s anyone that’s in a vulnerable position, please reach out, and we at the town are able to help out in any way we can. We’ll do that as well,” he said.