UPDATE: Repairs Still Ongoing After Water Main Break in Alamo
ALAMO (CBS SF/BCN) -- Repairs are still ongoing to an East Bay Municipal Utility District water main that ruptured early Friday morning in Alamo in Contra Costa County, sending water spilling out into the street for hours.
Residents in the neighborhood awoke without water and many were trapped in their homes after the break sent thousands of gallons of water gushing from the ruptured pipe, turning their street into a river.
City officials were faulting the city's aging pipeline system for the break on Hemme Ave. near Danville Blvd. About 182 residents were being impacted and there was no estimate as to when the break would be capped and fixed.
Early Friday, work crews were wading in a foot or more of water, trying to locate the break.
A resident stopped during his morning walk to watch the utility crews.
"I think there are two breaks," said area resident Tom Thomas. "When I was walking, I noticed the one on Hemme and there was a big sink hole. "And then further on down, there is a bridge and water was under that bridge. I don't know for sure, but it seems to be there are two breaks."
"When I get home, I hope I have water," he added.
The roadway has buckled because of the break and a handful of local residents were trapped in their homes.
"The cause of the break is not known. The main is an eight-inch pipe installed in the 1950's," said Kathryn Horn, a Community Affairs representative for East Bay Municipal Utility District.
Danville Boulevard was also closed early Friday because of the break.
East Bay MUD crews struggled to shut off the water because the valve they needed to reach to stop the gushing was submerged.
It took well over eight hours for crews to finally stop the flow of water. Officials said it could be as long as 12 hours before the repairs to the streets and sidewalks are done.
Mike Mascaro and his wife Jodi own the private preschool located on Hemme.
"We'll probably be closed a few days. At least mid-week," he said.
Luckily there's no damage inside the building. Earlier Friday morning, the parking lot to the school was underwater
KPIX 5 discovered there have been a few water main breaks in the Alamo area. Crews admitted the 70-year old infrastructure needs to be replaced.
"It's really interesting, because a lot of the neighborhood has been replaced, but this one little section wasn't," said Mascaro.
The district said late Friday afternoon that crews would remain on site through the evening to make repairs to the line.
"This is a big one, folks! We appreciate your patience as we work as quickly and as safely as possible to restore water service," EBMUD wrote on Twitter while sharing a photo of the large hole in the roadway caused by the main break.
