Water Main Breaks Cause Sinkhole Near Downtown

Two water main breaks that failed in neighborhood streets just outside of downtown have caused a major sinkhole in one intersection, and left four blocks of homes without water for much of the morning Tuesday.

Xavier Mercado, acting Public Works supervisor for water operations with the City of Redwood City, said two breaks that are part of the same pressure system failed in the early morning hours.

Mercado said the first report came in around 2:30 a.m. 

Small streets are closed off around the intersection of Warren Street and Brewster Avenue, where a large sinkhole caved in as a result of flooding.

"We don't know yet what the cause is," Mike Villa, a lead maintenance worker, told Patch around 9:30 a.m. "Sometimes when the weather changes like this, it can happen."

Another main broke at the intersection of Allerton and Standish streets.

Villa said the City had to shut off the water to four blocks surrounding the two breaks, which caused one fire hydrant to blast water at full force.

"Right now, we're just cleaning everything up, and trying to get people back on water," Villa said.

By 9:30 a.m., Villa said three of the four blocks had their water restored.

"We've really got our hands full right now," said Steve Pina, a lead worker for water operations, who said he used to work in asphalt until budget cuts caused the City to eliminate his job, so he was transferred to water.

By 9:30 a.m., Pina said he had already been out at the intersection of Allerton and Standish for several hours, helping crews to clear the streets of water and mud.

Mercado said the sub-basements of two homes received water damage as a result of the flooding, but that luckily, damage was minimal since the sub-basements were concrete.

Since it was a City water system that caused the flooding, Mercado said, "The City will take care of everything caused by City water damage," and any costs associated with repairs would be reimbursed.

Were you or anyone you know affected by today's water main breaks? Tell us in the comments.

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