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By March end, the city had paid $7.9 million to stop the underground flood, Mochrie said. The city hopes that B.C. Groundwater, the company contracted to cap the aquifer and shore up shaky ground, will finish the task by midsummer, leaving the city with an estimated bill of $9.9 million.

But the city has repeatedly underestimated the difficulty and cost of the operation. In September 2015, a city staffer wrote, “total costs may go to $200,000 … (and) it sounds like the homeowner is taking some steps to manage things.” Last August, the city estimated it could take another month to stop the flooding and finish repair work under 7084 Beechwood.

“It is the first time in B.C. anyone has had to deal with a flooding aquifer in a dense urban area,” Mochrie explained. “Even for the contractor, it has been very difficult to ascertain.”

Thierry Carriou of B.C. Groundwater said the firm is now trying to pour concrete and plug the breach, and he is “confident” of a 70-per-cent chance the task will succeed.

Photo by Jason Payne, Png / Vancouver Sun

“There is always risk until the well is fully empty, but the risk has been reduced,” Carriou said.

When the city’s final bill is paid, efforts to recoup costs in B.C. courts could prove as messy and challenging as plugging the aquifer.

The city has declared the drilling accident at Liu’s Beechwood lot a nuisance. Mochrie said under the order, since Liu didn’t “remedy” damage for the un-permitted drilling work, the city took over and paid for repairs. The city has since applied unpaid taxes against the property, he said.