A resident checks out a vehicle on Adam Street after a water main broke Saturday night. (CBC) City of Montreal officials are warning of the potential for more water-main breaks as forecasters predict even colder temperatures later this week.

In the past week, nearly a dozen underground water mains and valves have given way, from the Gay Village and Old Montreal to Ville St-Laurent and Ville-Émard, sending water into basements and onto some busy streets.

City spokesperson Darren Becker said the aging pipes are snapping as the temperature dips below –15 C.

"There are certain areas of the city, like in Ville-Marie in the downtown area, where the system is more than 90 years old," said Becker.

"The city's public works crews are monitoring the situation very carefully. There were seven [water-main breaks] over the weekend, and to be realistic there could very well be more over the coming days."

He said the cycle of thawing and freezing, in addition to vibrations from trucks on the road surface, are causing more ruptures than usual. However, Becker said those aren't the only factors.

"The main culprit isn't necessarily Mother Nature, but years of under-investment by previous administrations," said Becker, adding that City Hall is spending $350 million this year alone, playing "catch-up."

The city estimates there are 1,400 kilometres of underground pipe to repair, at a cost of $20 billion over the next 20 years.

Crumbling infrastructure part of Montreal life: residents

One of the largest water-main breaks took place in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve on Saturday evening. A 20-centimetre-wide pipe split below Adam Street, and within an hour, some residents, including Ernest Shaw, had half a metre of water in their basements.

'It's just part of living in Montreal, I guess.'—Lise Galipeau, resident

"If that [the water] freezes, they're [workers are] gonna have a real party down there. They're going to have to break the ice," said Shaw.

Lise Galipeau spent two nights in a hotel after a water-main break on Beaudry Street in the Gay Village forced the evacuation of her apartment building on Friday. On Monday, some vehicles were still frozen to the street in a thick layer of ice.

"It's just part of living in Montreal, I guess," said Galipeau.

Environment Canada is forecasting temperatures below –20 C on Thursday and Friday.

Becker said the city will examine damage claims on a case-by-case basis.