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 

[Howard]

Large Water Main Break Causes Severe Flooding in Downtown Montreal (Jan 28)

Student swept away at McGill University

A break in a 48-inch water main has affected a large area of downtown Montreal between Sherbrooke Street and Réné-Levesque Boulevard, and between Peel Street and Union Avenue.

Officials are still trying to figure out what caused the break.

Much of the flooding happened close to McGill University's downtown campus.

A note sent to employees at McGill warned of "severe flooding" on the campus and inside several buildings.

"We are trying to assess damage as best we can, but it will be extensive," the note stated, warning employees to get to safety.

Source

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/01/28/montreal-fl...

[Howard]

North Carolina Sinkhole Collapses Side of Roadway (Jan 21)
A water main break on Tyvola Centre Drive Monday morning caused a giant sinkhole that swallowed a car, sidewalk and even a tree. It was the last thing Brian Yurkovic thought would happen when he went to take out the trash.

"I was coming down the road, and I hit a big bump," said Yukovic.

That bump turned out to be a sinkhole that caved the moment his car passed over it.

Eyewitness News learned it was caused by a water main break. It emptied the ground above it and not only took out the streetlight but also the sidewalk, a tree, the surrounding grass and half of the road.

Yurkovic was left with two flat tires. He said that's when he got out of his car to warn others.

"I turned around, started waving to slow her down, and right into the hole she went," he said.

The driver's red Hyundai got stuck half on the road and half in the hole. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities Department was called to fix it but couldn't until both cars were towed. It took the wrecker about an hour to load both cars and lift the Hyundai out of the hole. In the meantime, CMUD shut off the water to the entire area, including the nearby apartment complex.

"I just woke up this morning, went into the bathroom and saw there was no water," said resident Subrakash Bhowmik

It made some people so late for work, they had to call out.

"I think we'll have to take a vacation day today," said Aruba Paul.

None of the drivers were hurt. Residents were told it would take four to six hours to fix.

CMUD says water main breaks happen every day. Eyewitness News has reported about the city's aging water main structure for years. With more than 4,000 miles of pipe, the city says it'd be too costly to replace. Its policy is to fix them as they break.

Source

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/car-drives-sinkhole-south-cha...

[Howard]

Water Main Snaps in Shreveport, Louisiana (Jan 11)

A 10 to 12-inch water pipe broke in half causing a large sinkhole to form Friday night in Shreveport's Broadmoor neighborhood.

The sinkhole developed at the corner of Grover Place and India Drive.

Crews set up a barricade to keep vehicles from driving into the large hole until repairs can be made.

Source

http://www.ksla.com/story/20572647/sinkhole-develops-on-broadmoor-n...

[Howard]

Major Water Main Break in Council Bluffs, Iowa (Jan 9)

(video) Not far from Omaha, Nebraska, a major water-main break at the corner of Ninth Street and Avenue E not only took out a chunk of concrete that stretched across the street, but it's also forced Council Bluffs area residents to go into a boil alert for their water -- which has sent many people to area grocery stores and forced a handful of restaurants to close their doors Wednesday.