The basement of Bushwakker Brewpub has been flooded due to what it called a “major” water main break. For two hours on Wednesday, water levels in the basement rose to “above knee height,” according to the bar and restaurant’s Facebook page. As a result, Bushwakker closed down for Wednesday, and several residents and businesses on Dewdney Avenue were without water. “Damage is pretty extensive, but we’re trying to remain positive,” bar and marketing manager Grant Frew told CTV News on Thursday. The City of Regina later clarified that the issued was caused by a leak in the water service connection on the 2200 block of Dewdney Avenue. However, the City said it still did not have enough information to figure out the specific cause of the leak as of Thursday afternoon. In a Thursday morning update, Bushwakker said the water in the basement was sucked out by a local drain service company, whose eight-hour operation ended just before midnight. In another update, Bushwakker said city crews were digging up the sidewalk to view the extent of the damage. Bushwakker added that it would still be closed on Thursday. “Disaster crews are also here to determine the extent of the damage to our brewpub. Insurance agents will be here this morning,” read the post. “Wonder who will end up footing the bill for this huge mess? Stay tuned!” Frew took charge of cleanup duty on Thursday. “A lot of the staff are in today. They’ve got their boots on and the shovels and the wheelbarrows are here and we’re just digging out,” he said. The leak comes following the completion of the two-year Dewdney Avenue Corridor Revitalization Project, which oversaw the transformation of Dewdney from Albert Street to Broad. The project was intended to make significant upgrades to century-old underground infrastructure and also saw beautification improvements and more streetlights. In a statement to CTV News, the City of Regina said its priority is restoring water service to residents and businesses on the 2200 block of Dewdney Avenue. “The next steps will focus on testing the water to ensure it is safe to drink and advising residents and businesses when they can resume normal water use,” the statement read. “City crews will continue to work closely with the affected business and its plumber to ensure that all private-side work is coordinated and properly reconnected to City services.” Dewdney disruption Bushwakker was one of the businesses which suffered from a loss of foot traffic during the Dewdney revitalization. Water on Dewdney was shut off Thursday as crews performed work on the block, serving as another disruption for residents and businesses. “It’s a tough situation given how beautiful the street just was, but when you’re connecting old infrastructure to new infrastructure, who knows,” Pam Malach, executive director of Regina Warehouse District, told CTV News. The incident also impacted Regina Jazz Festival which had planned to use Bushwakker Brewpub as one of its venues. The band Terraplane, who were originally scheduled to perform at Bushwakker on Thursday night, would instead play at Le Bistro inside École Monseigneur de Laval on Hillsdale. “We’ve moved everything and are not cancelling that show,” said JazzFest executive producer Peter Champagne.
