Water Main Breaks Gusher

[Howard]

"All the land between New England and Mexico is being pulled at a diagonal, and it is not just the fault lines that are feeling stress. All will participate when the New Madrid Fault

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - "Super Sinkhole Walter" and 40 Others 

Malibu, California - Recurring Water Main Breaks

Grand Rapids, Michigan - Big Hole / Deep Water 

[Derrick Johnson]

Water main break creates massive sinkhole, damages homes on Vancouver Island

 By Bill Cleverley, Victoria Times Colonist

 

A sinkhole at Burnside Road West and Wilkinson Road Saturday morning. Nearby homes were damaged and a car rolled over on the Trans-Canada Highway after a water main break spilled millions of gallons of water.

Photograph by: Submitted , Saanich Police Department

VICTORIA — Crews are working to repair a water main that burst early Saturday morning, spewing out a river of water that created a huge sinkhole on a Vancouver Island roadway, damaged several homes and caused a car on the Trans-Canada Highway to roll over.

An estimated two million gallons of water was spilled onto Burnside Road West in Saanich, outside Victoria.

Hardest hit was Jeffrey Stephen’s home on Belgrave Road. Stephen woke with a start about 6 a.m. Saturday to what he thought was a torrential rainfall.

“I thought I’d never seen it rain this hard. So I went out to the porch to realize it wasn’t rain. It was an eight-foot-deep river rushing through the house. It was as though I stepped onto the deck of a boat. [From] my second-storey deck I could reach down and be in the water,” he said.

While insured, Stephen lost hundreds of photos and family mementos along with four motorcycles and all his tools. The water gushed through the lower level of the house for a good hour.

It was a bitter turn for Stephen, who over the past five years has been restoring the home himself, including jacking it up and replacing the foundation. He had only moved in a year ago.

“I framed it and made it into a dream home and I was the labour for all of it ... Throughout the build, I’ve been broken into. I’ve been cleaned out of all of my tools. My father died halfway through the build so it’s just been one thing after the next. You finally move in, and this happens,” he said.

Alanna Jackson, Stephen’s next-door neighbour, whose house was one of two on the block that escaped serious damage, described the scene as “total chaos and devastation.”

“It was as if there was a free-flowing river going down Belgrave. I’ve got rubber boots on but the water was up to my knees,” she said.

Both CRD and Saanich crews were quickly on the scene Saturday morning and working with the hope of having the main repaired by the end of the day. Whether or not they would be able to fill the gaping hole that had formed at the intersection of Burnside Road and Wilkinson Road and reopen the roads was uncertain.

“We’re probably looking at least the end of the day before the intersection is opened, and possibly longer depending on the extent of the damage,” Ted Robbins, CRD general manager of integrated water services, said from the scene.

“The limiting factor will be if we run out of daylight, but if that’s the case we’ll get lights and work into the night to try to get the intersection reopened.

Police initially responded about 6:30 a.m to reports of flooding on Burnside. About the same time there was a rollover on the Trans-Canada. They discovered the highway was flooding and that the sinkhole had formed nearby.

Saanich Police Sgt. Steve Eassie said a woman, the lone occupant of the car, had been driving south on the Trans-Canada when she unexpectedly encountered the water flow.

“The significant amount of water on the roadway caused her to lose control of the vehicle. I believe she hit a speed sign and then went across into the median and then obviously the vehicle at some point dug in and rolled over,” Eassie said.

The woman was taken to hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries, Eassie said.

Work crews were called to deal with the sinkhole and police went door to door to alert neighbours.

Burnside Road West was closed and the Trans-Canada was reduced to one lane in either direction during the initial stages of repair. By 10:30 a.m. the highway had been reopened to southbound traffic. Northbound traffic was restricted for much of the day.

Emergency Social Services set up a comfort centre at St. Joseph's Church, 785 Burnside Rd. W., for residents affected by the flood but it wasn’t well used, said Mayor Frank Leonard.

“Practically speaking, we’re finding that folks don’t want to leave their homes and go there,” Leonard said. “But when you think about it, you wouldn’t want to leave your home.”

Leonard said Saanich was doing everything it could to get the neighbourhood back to normal.

“We’re throwing everything we have at it. Our crews are there and there’s more on standby and CRD management are there as well,” he said.

Source:

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Water+main+break+creates+massive+si...

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[Derrick Johnson]

Water main break floods San Francisco homes, streets

The trouble started bubbling over just after midnight. A 12-inch water main ruptured sending millions of gallons of water gushing into about a half dozen homes in the Bayview District.

"Unbelievable, I've never seen anything quite like it before," nearby resident Mackentral Williams said.

Sky7 HD captured video of the huge project after the clean-up effort as crews worked to repair the section of damaged pipe.

Earlier in the morning, a sinkhole started forming around a car parked over the water main break.

A tow truck was called in to save the car and residents did what they could to keep the wet stuff out of their dry homes.

Some grabbed pieces of wood and the fire department got creative.

"All you do is you take a 3-inch line and charge it with water from a hydrant and it works as a great barricade," Battalion Chief Michael Thompson said.

Heavy equipment was brought in for the repairs that lasted long into the morning.

Workers with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission say they see about 100 water main breaks a year, but one this big is rare.

"This is on the more severe side. So many, many of the pipeline breaks are smaller pipes that release less water that affect fewer people, so this is on the high side definitely. We'll have one or two a year that are this severe," San Francisco Public Utilities Commission spokesperson David Briggs said.

Water is expected to be restored to all customers Friday and the good news for homeowners is the bill for damage caused by the mess will go to the city.

Source: http://abc7news.com/news/water-main-break-floods-san-francisco-home...

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[Derrick Johnson]

Broken Water Main Causes Large Sinkhole to Form on Omaha Drive

Posted: Oct 02, 2014 8:40 AM PST Updated: Oct 02, 2014 4:08 PM PST

CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) - City crews had to shut down a section of Omaha Drive between Leopard Street and Baldwin Boulevard Thursday after a major water main break caused a large sinkhole to open up in the road.

The water main broke early in the morning, flooding the area with water.

Rocky Bassham, co-owner of C.C. Coating and Machine at 658 Omaha, said his business has flooded several times due to water main breaks in the area. He said that about three years ago his building flooded due to a water main break and the City refused to pay for his losses. He worries that he'll once again be footing the bill for any damages in Thursday's flooding.

A manager at the scene said there would be no loss of service to customers in the area, and that they expect to complete their repairs by 4:30-5 p.m.

Source: http://www.kiiitv.com/story/26688178/broken-water-main-causes-large...

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[Howard]

Another Large Water Main Break in Hollywood California (Sept 26)

Less than a week after a huge geyser erupted from broken water main in Hollywood, another large water pipe burst under the Los Angeles suburb of West Hollywood on Friday, flooding the famed Sunset Strip and forcing authorities to shut down the thoroughfare to vehicle traffic during the evening rush hour.

The 36-inch underground pipe burst around 2:15 p.m. local time (2125 GMT), spraying as much as 9,600 gallons of water a minute onto Sunset Boulevard at its peak, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokeswoman Kim Hughes said.

The flooding caused chaos for pedestrians, nearby residents and businesses.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews were still busy Saturday morning trying to repair the broken water main.

Sources

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/09/27/water-main-break-floods-hollyw...

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-dwp-still-working-to-re...

[Derrick Johnson]

Harding Place reopened after water main repaired

(Photo: Larry McCormack / The Tennessean )

Metro Water crews completed repairs on the main that sent water gushing along Harding Place on Wednesday afternoon.

Crews completed repairs to the 24-inch water main early Thursday morning and reopened the affected roads later that afternoon, said department spokeswoman Sonia Allman.

The utility company said all customers affected by the water main break should have full service again. Most customers did not lose water service completely during the break, Allman said.

While crews did not specifically determine what caused the break, Allman said the age of the pipe was a likely factor.

Source: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2014/09/25/harding-place...

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[Howard]

Massive Water Main Break in Hollywood CA (Sept 19)

A huge geyser was gushing in Hollywood, California this afternoon, spraying high up above the buildings, blasting the top of a palm tree and flooding the street.

Steve Smith tweeted to LADWP a photo of the scene at 6300 W. Willoughby Avenue. He got to the scene around 2:25 p.m.

Source

http://laist.com/2014/09/19/video_huge_fountain_of_water_gushin.php

[Derrick Johnson]

MD Water main break causes Route 124 closures

(Photo: WUSA9)

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (WUSA9) -- A large water main caused road closures on Wednesday evening.

Crews will need to replace eight feet of pipe near the break, WSSC said on Twitter Thursday night.

The break occurred at Route 124 and Russel Avenue, the Montgomery County Fire Department said.

Route 124 and Russel Avenue were closed, and the fire station near the scene is was blocked by the break, fire officials said.

The main has been shut down, and eight customers are being affected by the break, WSSC said.

Source: http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/local/gaithersburg/2014/09/17/water...

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Crews Work To Repair Water Main Break In Center City

September 17, 2014 5:19 AM

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — An early morning water main break at 7th and Locust Streets in Center City is blocking traffic and affecting dozens of homeowners.

The Philadelphia Water Department says ten homes and a condo building with 25 units are without water.

The 10-inch main flooded the streets when it broke around 2 a.m. Wednesday. The flow was shut-off by about 6:30 a.m.

Crews were expected to begin repairs around 9 a.m. The work  is expected to take at least eight hours.

Local detours are in effect.

Source: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/09/17/crews-work-to-repair-wa...

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[Howard]

Nearly 6 Times More Water Main 'Blowouts' in LA (Sept 12)

This summer, Los Angeles has seen more high-energy water line ruptures that cause street damage, according to data from the Department of Water and Power.

Though the total number of pipe leaks of all types are stable, “blowouts” — a term used to describe a subset of pipe breaks that damage roads — are up from last year, with 34 in July and 24 in August.

That compares with five in each month last year, according to agency data.

Source

http://ktla.com/2014/09/12/number-of-road-damaging-water-main-blowo...

[Derrick Johnson]

Water main break leaves some Oklahoma City residents without water

OKLAHOMA CITY —Some Oklahoma City residents are without water due to a break in the line Friday morning.

There is a 72-inch break in a water line near South Sunnylane Road and Southeast 34th Street. The break happened about 3:30 a.m.

In addition to those without water some residents are experiencing low water pressure. Crews are working to fix the break.

Oklahoma City Community College is closing its campuses until further notice due to the water main break. They are asking students to check OCCC.edu for updates as to when the campuses will reopen.

Oklahoma City Utilities spokesperson Debbie Regan says the water main that burst connect with half the city but there's no way to tell how many people were actually affected.

Stay with KOCO 5 News for the latest information on breaking news.

Source: http://www.koco.com/news/water-main-break-leaves-some-oklahoma-city...

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[Derrick Johnson]

2 Phoenix water mains break, dozens without water

More than 40 people were without water early Thursday morning after two separate water mains broke in Phoenix, a city water services spokeswoman confirmed.

The first was a a 6-inch water main that broke at about 5 a.m. Thursday in front of a building north of Bethany Home Road, near Berridge Lane and Second Street. Two homes were flooded and 22 people were without water, said Victoria Welch, a city water services spokeswoman. The water main was almost 50 years old.

The water for that break was shut off at about 6:15 a.m., helicopter footage showed.

The second break was an 8-inch pipe that busted on Seventh Avenue near McDowell Road at around 9 p.m. Wednesday night, Welch said. Around 20 people were immediately without water and two southbound lanes of 7th Avenue were closed. Phoenix crews were expected to have the break repaired by 9 a.m. Thursday, Welch said.

That water main was around 80 years old.

Welch said neither of the incidents were related to the historic amounts of rain that fell in Phoenix earlier in the week.

Source: http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/09/11/phoeni...

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