Water Main Breaks Gusher

[Howard]

Water main break destroys street near Los Angeles, California - July 29, 2014    

"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 makes a serious adjustment."  ZetaTalk

 

Since 2013, a conspicuous number of water main breaks and sinkholes have been reported across the U.S.  While water lines commonly rupture during winter months, especially in regions experiencing subfreezing temperatures, large water mains are fracturing in southern states where ground temperatures remain above freezing.

Notable water main breaks and sinkholes during the first 6 days of 2013:

 

January 1

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

Harrisburg officials expect it will take several weeks to repair damage from a massive sinkhole that forced dozens of residents to evacuate.

The city’s Department of Public Works said it could be another 30 days before water, sewer and gas lines are replaced in the neighborhood where the sinkhole is causing problems.  "Super Sinkhole Walter," as the North Fourth Street collapse has been called, is big enough to have its own Foursquare check-in location.

On Thursday, the massive hole partially swallowed a construction backhoe.

The hole opened Monday morning, and later opened a bigger hole.

A spokesman for Mayor Linda Thompson said the city must replace the entire water and sewer system lines on the block.
The spokesman, Robert Philbin, said new water and sewer lines will not be working for five to six weeks.

These two large sinkholes in the 2100 block of North Fourth Street are among at least 40 sinkholes covered by steel plates citywide, according to Kevin Hagerich, director of the city’s Department of Public Works.

Interactive Map of Known Sinkholes in Harrisburg

Sources

http://tribwpmt.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/2013-01-01_14-41-38_69....

http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x1303509877/Harrisburg-sinkhole-s...

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/01/interactive_map_...

 

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January 3

Malibu, California - Recurring Water Main Breaks

Another water main break in Malibu collapsed part of John Tyler Drive as crews worked to repair the leak.

A broken water main and partially collapsed road have narrowed traffic to one lane on Malibu Country Drive near John Tyler Drive.

Between 30 and 35 customers in Malibu Country Estates are without water. Los Angeles County Public Works received a call about a partially collapsed roadway on Malibu Country Drive at 9:30 a.m, according to spokesman Mike Kaspar.

Kaspar said the road is cut down to one lane for approximately 100 yards.

This is the second water main break reported in Malibu in as many days. On Wednesday, the main that supplies water to the Adamson House broke and employees from Public Works worked overnight on a temporary fix and permanent reroute of the underground pipeline. Westbound traffic on Pacific Coast Highway was cut down to one lane between Malibu Inn and Serra Road while crews made the repair.

Source

 

 

Grand Rapids, Michigan - Big Hole / Deep Water

A water main break has closed the westbound lanes of 44th Street between Division Avenue and U.S. 131 in Wyoming, Michigan

A broken valve is causing complications in repairing the break in a 16-inch water main and the road may be closed until Saturday, authorities now say.

The valve, which broke in a partially-closed position, must be replaced before the water main can be fixed, Wyoming Director of Public Works William Dooley said in a statement on Friday, Jan. 4.

The water main broke area of 44th Street SW and Clay Avenue on Thursday.

The westbound lanes of 44th Street are closed near Clay Avenue, and Clay is closed from 44th Street north to Louisiana Avenue.

Dooley said the repair is taking much longer than anticipated because of the valve problem. Water is still flowing from the main because the valve cannot be closed.

A private contractor has been called to help city crews and they expect to fix the valve this afternoon.

Dooley said the water main break has not affected drinking water to area residents.

“Once the valve has been replaced, we will start work to repair the water main and hope to have that wrapped up yet today. We recognize and apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused to businesses, area residents and motorists and are working as quickly as we can to return things to normal," Dooley said in the statement.

Source

 

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January 4

New Orleans, Louisiana - Cajun Geyser

A water main break in the middle of Adams Street near Maple poured water into the streets Friday afternoon.

Sewerage and Water Board crews arrived on the scene around 1:30 pm to address the incident.

An hour or so later, the break erupted into a full-blown geyser, showering Adams Street with water.

Water was rising on the sides of the street near several Uptown businesses, creeping up on the tires of some cars.

Source

 

 

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January 5

Atlanta, Georgia

A massive water main break caused headaches for both residents and drivers on Clairmont Road in Chamblee, more than 24 hours after it first happened.

A huge hole opened up in the road between Airport Road and Wingate Road Saturday morning. Residents in the area were without water for much of the weekend after the 30-inch water main break.

DeKalb County spokesman Burke Brennan told Channel 2 Action News that they first had to clear out the water from the hole to determine the cause before they could begin repairing it. Major damage to the road and the sidewalk could still be seen well into Sunday morning.

Brennan says the pipe's age could have been a factor in the break.

Police were on the scene to re-direct traffic away from the area near DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.

Source

 

Sacramento, California

Water main break floods East Sacramento neighborhood

A 16-inch water main broke Saturday morning, turning two streets into ponds and damaging several homes along 39th and D Streets.

Source

 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority says that a 30-inch line broke in the Oakland/Bloomfield area near the South Millvale Bridge at Morewood Street.

Two Port Authority stations and a portion of bus routes were closed after the water main break.

The break happened in North Oakland around 6 a.m. and the Neville Ramp, Herron and Negley Port Authority stations were closed as a result, our news partners at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.

The East Liberty station is as far as inbound buses can go and outbound buses will make it to the 26th Street Ramp, the Post-Gazette says.

Officials said the water main break exposed a 24-inch Equitable gas line.

“Public Safety is our No. 1 concern,” Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority Director of Operations Tom Palmosina said in a press release. “PWSA crew responded immediately and began isolating the leak.”

PWSA officials said that all efforts are being focused on the gas line.

Source

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January 6

Seattle, Washington

A large water main break on Sunday caused the closure of State Route 20 in Port Townsend near the ferry terminal.

Around 3 a.m., Police and Public Works responded to the 1800 block of Water Street where the break was reported near the Tides Inn and Suites.

Portions of State Route 20 pavement were raised several inches above the original road bed as pressure from the water pushed up to the surface. When crews first arrived on scene they found water running west down the road. At least one business, The Food Co-op, 414 Kearney Street, had flood damage as water rushed into the building.

The closure affects commuters traveling to the Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry route.  Detour routes for ferry traffic have been set up through city streets.

Water to at least a dozen businesses and residents was shut off but was restored by 3:30 p.m.

The Department of Transportation will not have materials available to begin repairing the highway until sometime Monday, according to Claudia Bingham Baker, WSDOT communications manager.

Detours will remain in place until crews determine the road is safe to reopen, which would occur Monday at the earliest.

The cause of the break is under investigation.

Source

[Derrick Johnson]

Water main break significantly damages NE Sandy Blvd.

Portland Water Bureau says 16-inch water pipe ruptured, causing water to flow into the immediate area

By KOIN 6 News Staff Published: September 10, 2014, 5:07 pm Updated: September 10, 2014, 8:27 pm

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN 6) — Crews said a section of Northeast Sandy Boulevard will remain closed for days after a water main break Wednesday afternoon.

The road will remain closed between Northeast 122nd and Northeast 138th avenues until further notice.

The Portland Water Bureau said drivers can use Northeast Airport Way or Northeast Halsey Street to get around the closure.

Crews remained on the scene Wednesday to repair the water main. Meanwhile, the Oregon Department of Transportation said they’re making preparations to repair the “significant damage” that occurred to Northeast Sandy Boulevard, including the hiring of a contractor to fix the road surface and subsurface.

According to the bureau, a 16-inch water pipe ruptured, causing water to flow into the immediate area.

Crews onsite immediately worked to shut down the water and make repairs.

Portland Fire & Rescue said water had flown into the parking lots of nearby apartment complexes although no units were damaged. No injuries were reported either.

It is unknown at this time how many customers may be out of water although the Portland Water Bureau confirmed that some multifamily units are affected.

Customers in the area may be experiencing dirty water and/or low pressure at their home. The discoloration does not pose a health risk; however, the bureau said customers should avoid using tap water or running the washing machine or dishwasher until the repair is complete.

No exact estimate was given as to when all repairs to the roadway and sidewalks in the are would be completed.

For the most recent updates about the water main break, visit the Portland Water Bureau’s blog here.

Soruce: http://koin.com/2014/09/10/water-main-break-significantly-damages-n...

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[Derrick Johnson]

Water main break in Encino forces evacuation of two homes

A 16-inch water main that ruptured in an Encino neighborhood Monday tore through a street and sent gushing water into several backyards, prompting the evacuation of two homes, officials said.

The rupture, reported around 9:40 a.m., affected backyards in the 17900 block of Karen Drive, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said. No injuries were reported.

L.A. Department of Water and Power crews worked to shut off the main, reducing the flow of water to "a trickle," he said. At least 100 LADWP customers were affected by the break.

Officials said the cast iron pipe burst as a result of typical erosion. Crews were still working to completely shut off the valve Monday afternoon.

Although the utility did not immediately know how much water was lost as a result of the leak, the pipe experienced “heavy leaking” for about an hour, said Mike Miller, a district superintendent for LADWP.

The pipe was expected to be fully repaired by 8 p.m. But officials don’t know when repairs will be completed to the road, which suffered extensive damage due to the force of the water, he added.

Water and some mud entered at least two homes, which Miller said also sustained extensive damage.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-water-main-break-encino...

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[Derrick Johnson]

Water main break floods area around Rady Children's Hospital

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A water main break that took hours to halt flooded a Birdland-area neighborhood Wednesday, inundating garages and disrupting water service to several nearby hospitals along with dozens of houses and apartments.

The ruptured 18-inch cast-iron pipeline began sending water surging out of buckled asphalt in the 2600 block of Meadow Lark Drive shortly before 4 p.m., according to police and the San Diego Water Department. The mishap forced the closure of traffic lanes in the immediate area.

Among facilities temporarily losing water service was Rady Children's Hospital. The pediatric medical center had service restored by 5:30 p.m., spokesman Carlos Delgado said.

Also affected were Sharp Memorial, Sharp Mary Birch and Sharp Mesa Vista Hospitals. The disruption to those facilities was ongoing as of 6:30 p.m., according to spokesman John Cihomsky.

All the hospitals have emergency stores of water, and none reported any adverse effects to patient care.

The nearby county juvenile court and detention center also was affected to some degree, SDWD spokesman Arian Collins said. It was unclear if the complex remained without service in the early evening.

Residents told news crews that the overflow had flooded some residential garages on Nightingale Way. Live television shots showed people wading, swimming and floating on inflatable rubber rafts in ponds of water in front of homes and apartment complexes in the area.

Utility crews got the overflow under control at about 6:20 p.m., according to Collins. Full restoration of service and repair of the damaged sections of roadway were expected to take until about noon Thursday, he said.

Source: http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/Water-main-break-floods-area-ar...

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[Derrick Johnson]

Cabrillo Bridge reopened to vehicles after water main break on El Prado in Balboa Park

SAN DIEGO - The Cabrillo Bridge is back open to vehicles after being closed for hours while crews repaired a large water main break in Balboa Park.

The break was reported Sunday morning on a 36-inch water main on El Prado just east of Sixth Avenue.

A hydraulics crew from the city's Public Utilities Department shut down the main. A spokesman said the large main has very high water pressure and the shutdown process was slow so as not to cause more damage to the water system. No customers were without water service during the repairs.

The repairs were completed and the bridge reopened to vehicular traffic just before 6 p.m.

Source: http://www.10news.com/news/water-main-break-on-el-prado-in-balboa-p...

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[Derrick Johnson]

Water Main Break Reportedly Flooding Basements In Ross Twp.

(Photo Credit: KDKA)

ROSS TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — A water main break sent water gushing down a street in Ross Township, and caused some flooding problems for nearby residents.

The break happened around 7 p.m. on Babcock Boulevard and Roderick Drive, just across the street from the Shoppes at Northway.

Firefighters worked to keep the water from flooding homes at the bottom of the hill.

West View Water Authority crews were called out to turn off the water and fix the break.

There’s no word yet on how bad the damage is.

Source: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/08/28/water-main-break-reported...

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[Derrick Johnson]

Water main break leaves Noe Valley residents without water for 7 hours

Paul Chambers/KTVU.com

SAN FRANCISCO —

A water main break in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood had people without water for seven hours Tuesday.

“It was gushing it was pouring down that whole side," says Alan Rosenzweig of San Francisco. 

From 3:30 p.m., until after 9 Tuesday night, crews from San Francisco Water Department worked efficiently to find out what caused the break that flooded 28th Street between Castro and Diamond. 

“At a time like this it's kind of unfortunate to have all of this water being wasted. So I actually grabbed some buckets and tried to capture as much as I could of it,” says Rosenzweig. 

“We are very conscious of how much water is in the system and we are in a drought. So our guys are very fast they come in and turn it off,” says Alison Kastana spokeswoman for San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.  

For hours crews pounded the street, digging up the asphalt which neighbors say is less than a year old.  

“They were trying to find out where was the water coming from. They saw it gushing out but they didn't know what was broken or where,” says Catherine Scosseria of San Francisco. 

Finally the crews found the cause, a four inch split in the bottom of a pipe that was installed in 1927. The break also caused a part of the street to buckle and water continued to flow.

“The pipes are under pressure so when they break they do cause some push. Sometimes that's a little up well in the pavement,” says Kastana.

The PUC said there are 12,000 miles of pipes running underneath San Francisco, some that date back to 1903.  Each year crews replace 15 miles of pipe, but with an aging infrastructure breaks aren't that uncommon.

“Right now there are still old pipes in the system and this is what happens. They last a long time but sooner or later they do actual fail due to age," says Kastana.  

The PUC says the pipe might have ruptured as a result of Sunday's earthquake.

Source: http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/water-main-break-leaves-some-sa...

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[Derrick Johnson]

City Of Tulsa Working To Repair Numerous Water Main Breaks

TULSA, Oklahoma -

Water main breaks have been popping up all over town and that's causing a headache for the Tulsa Water Department. The breaks can take anywhere from a couple of hours to whole days to fix.

The breaks are happening all over Tulsa. Officials say they had 16 breaks Sunday and several more since midnight. Crews have repaired ten of those broken lines and are working on the rest.

Sometimes the breaks cause crews to cut off water to nearby businesses and homes, making it quite the inconvenience for those living and working in the areas.

Broken Arrow resident, Glenn Horst said, "I just showed up and it's closed. I guess the water main has everything shut down in this area, I guess."

Water main breaks all across town, including one at 21st and Garnett, had people turning away from local businesses Sunday and Monday.

"I bet this is a lot of inconvenience for this whole block,” Horst said.

An inconvenience Water Distribution Section Manager, Rick Caruthers, said is hard to avoid in a town like Tulsa.

Rick Caruthers, Water Distribution Section Manager "It's just, we've got a massive system, we've got 22 hundred miles of water line, and some of that line is 75 years old,” he said. "It's hot, it's August, this is a busy time for us. Fortunately, this August has been pretty mild up to the last few days."

The last few days just so happen to be some of the hottest parts of summer, with temperatures hitting near triple digits, but the city said it's working on a project to fix the overall system.

"The city of Tulsa water department is just beginning an asset management program which is going to look at all the breaks we've had. It's going to go in and identify the areas that we need to go in and replace those lines,” Caruthers said.

The programs would call for replacing about 20 miles of line a year.
Source: http://www.newson6.com/story/26363471/city-of-tulsa-working-to-repa...

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[Derrick Johnson]

Water main break floods area near Sand Piper and Tower

Updated: 08/22/2014 5:43 PM | Created: 08/22/2014 5:22 PM
By: Danielle Todesco, KOB Eyewitness News 4

A water main break that occurred around 1:45 p.m. Friday at Sand Piper and Tower in southwest Albuquerque has flooded the area.

Parents picking kids up from school had a few issues getting through semi-flooded streets, but there were few traffic issues.

Crews say they are planning to shut of the water to the actual leak, though it's not clear at this point if water service will be cut off to homes.

Source: http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S3540373.shtml#.U_gsPWM09rs

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[Derrick Johnson]

Second Denver water main break in a week

(Photo: Andy Buck, KUSA)

KUSA- For the second time in a week, a water main break disrupted Denver streets and businesses. This time, it was a busy stretch of Colorado Boulevard between Louisiana and Arkansas Avenues.

That created a waterlogged traffic nightmare that backed up drivers at least a half mile.

"It stinks," said Jason Duvall, who was driving in traffic. "I've seen wrecks close it down before, but not this."

A 12-inch pipeline, installed in 1955, busted. Witnesses said it unleashed streams of water.

"This whole sidewalk was overflowing with water," said David O'Neal, who witnessed the break. "And it was flowing further down Colorado Boulevard and kind of buckling over the next little area and flooding this gas station, pretty much."

Workers at that nearby gas station spent part of the afternoon cleaning up the mess, which left mud and water all over.

It's a familiar problem for Denver Water crews. Last Saturday, a pipe broke on Blake Street, near Coors Field, forcing the cancellation of the Rockies game that night.

"Unfortunately, they happen and even more unfortunately, it's just been bad timing on both of these breaks-between the Rockies game and then right before rush hour this afternoon," said Denver Water spokesperson Travis Thompson.

Denver's water system is aging. It is more than a hundred years old in some spots. The city says it has a maintenance program, designed to improve pipes before they break. However, it isn't always able to get to them in time.

"When you think about it, it's underneath the ground, it's underneath the streets," Thompson said. "It's not like you can just pull it all out overnight, upgrade it, fix it, put a new pipe in it. It really does take time."

Denver water said it tries to rehab as many old pipes as possible by relining them with new concrete, but it's still very hard to know where the next break will happen.

Water is expected to be restored to the area by midnight. Colorado Boulevard is expected to reopen by 5 a.m. Friday.

Source: http://www.9news.com/story/news/2014/08/21/denver-water-main-break-...

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[Derrick Johnson]

Crews repairing water main break that flooded road in Seaport District

A water main break this morning dumped hundreds of gallons of water onto Northern Avenue, flooding part of Boston’s Seaport District, authorities said.

At 7:30 a.m. A 30-inch water main broke in the area of 100-104 Northern Ave. at about 7:30 a.m., said Boston Water and Sewer Commission spokeswoman Danielle Domingos.

“Some people in the area of reported low water pressure but no one is without water,” Domingos said.

She said officials isolated the pipe to prevent any further flooding.

“They can open up the pipe, replace it, and fill it by the end of end of business today and then overnight, take out the asphalt and repave,” she said. “Hopefully by tomorrow morning, at the latest Monday, it should look new.”

The morning’s break was not expected to affect any of the surrounding businesses and there were no power outages reported.

Boston Fire Department personnel were on scene to assist city engineers and utility companies and to go over plans for repair.

Fire officials said the drop in water pressure set off numerous trouble alarms in nearby buildings’ fire alarm systems. They also had to cut electricity at several construction sites in the area. Water pressure was back to normal around 10:30 a.m.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the break.

Source: http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/08/crews_r...

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