Water main break collapses part of Cleveland intersection

March 2008

U.S. Water News Online

CLEVELAND -- An aging water main broke open at a major downtown intersection, collapsing part of the street during the morning rush hour and flooding basements in at least four buildings, authorities said.

No injuries were reported. Water spilled out of a car-sized hole and onto surrounding streets in the Public Square area for about 90 minutes before officials were able to turn off water flowing to the pipe, said John Goersmeyer, a spokesman for Cleveland Division of Water.

Hundreds of workers at a 15-story office tower with flooding were evacuated as a precaution because the basement contains the building's electrical system, building manager Matt Ging said.

Traffic lights were out within a two-block radius, and water could be seen churning in the hole where the pavement collapsed, until it was pumped out. Authorities closed the intersection and rerouted traffic around the area, which filled with onlookers.

"It's really a good thing nobody went down there in a car or went over it at the time it happened," said Shane Chodak, 37. "I'm just wondering now how long it's going to take the city to repair it."

Large chunks of pavement fell onto the water line and a natural gas line, knocking out gas service to two buildings. The gas main was turned off and was expected to be repaired before the morning rush hour. Most of the concrete chunks have been removed, city officials said. A state office building downtown closed in the morning due to low water pressure, but was to reopen.

The size of the hole doubled as crews dug up the area to try to assess the damage.

Goersmeyer said the city had no estimate on cost of the damage or when it might be repaired. In the meantime, traffic will be rerouted.

Water was restored to all buildings. In total, 10.5 million gallons of water were lost in the break, officials said.

The 30-inch water main has three smaller pipes that branch off, Goersmeyer said. It was unclear if the smaller pipes also burst or if nearby sewer pipes were damaged.

The 30-inch line dates back to 1880 and was refurbished when that section of road was rebuilt in 1996, he said.

"I'm told this is part of the city's original piping," he said.

Sporadic water main breaks downtown have frustrated city officials in recent years.

A 116-year-old water main that broke in 2001 sent millions of gallons cascading across streets in a 10-block radius, stalling cars and flooding some basements.

Click here to subscribe to e-Water News Weekly.