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A massive water main break has forced the closure of Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C., and imposed mandatory water restrictions on Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission customers in two counties.
The break is expected to affect the morning commute, as a hoped-for 6 a.m. reopening of Connecticut Avenue was called off around 5:20 a.m.
Drivers are not able to get between D.C. and the Beltway using Connecticut Avenue, which is closed in both directions between Manor Road and Dunlap Street. That closure will continue indefinitely, WSSC said.
The main broke around 8 p.m. Monday at Chevy Chase Lake Drive, where water gushed several stories high from the 54-inch water main.
The break caused a power line to fall, but no customers have lost power. Natural gas and electric lines run along the water main, so crews from Washington Gas and PEPCO had to secure those lines before work on the water main could begin, said WSSC.
Crews had a scare shortly before 5:20 a.m. when a tree came down at the scene due to the saturated ground.
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The tree brought down some additional power lines, which dashed hopes for a 6 a.m. road opening. Pepco is headed to the scene.
Another tree is also threatening to topple, said WSSC.
Water restrictions in Maryland
While there are no water reported water outages, all WSSC customers in Prince George's and Montgomery counties are required to restrict usage until repairs are complete.
WSSC says all residential and commercial customers must:
Use water only as necessary -- i.e., take shorter showers and turn off faucets after washing hands and while brushing teeth.
Limit flushing toilets (do not flush after every use).
Put off washing clothes if possible.
Limit the use of dishwashers and wash only full loads.
The restrictions could last up to a week, WSSC said. A violation carries a fine of up to $500 fine.
WSSC said in a release it has been working with fire departments from both counties to ensure adequate fire protection.
"Please don't hoard water. We're not running out," said General Manager Jerry N. Johnson. "But if everyone can cut their water use by 10 percent, we should be OK. We appreciate everyone's understanding and cooperation."
Officials said the pipes are old -- circa 1980 -- but did not give a cause for the break.
There is no timeline for repairs, WSSC said.
NBCWashington.com
Leave a Comment:
I see DC is broken in more ways then one.
amen, we need to see if the british would like to try burning it down again. This time we promise not to stop em.
This isn't in DC. It's in Chevy Chase, MD. Also, I wouldn't make light of a place where real people live. It's not a civil commentary.
More like the whole country, where there is aging and failing infrastructure all over the place with the government and public unwilling to put forth the money to modernize it.
Eric bunchanumbers..., tell NBC about it.
^this. For a 1st world country, we have 2nd world infrastructure. This is on full, glaring display everytime there is a minor snowstorm and millions of people lose power. We won't spend the money to bury our power lines (like almost every other 1st world industrialized nation) so we suffer.
Same with water mains, gas lines, bridges, and roads.
Ah, who cares, let's do another round of tax cuts, shall we?
We all knew the DC bullsh!t was backed up a mile already. I'm calling my congressman and tell him I need more taxes to pay for those repairs, because I don't want to cut into corporate profits and hurt the stockholders of energy companies.
Only in America can you get a fine for a service that you already pay for.
That's probably Marco Rubio having one of his "H2O" Attacks, Wink Wink !!!
the gov't is broke so no help there...your water bills are about to go up....happened here not long ago..the shareholders can't lose any money...gov't funded ripoff..
Stop fighting the truth "Broke", Go thank GWB for that, hes the JackA$$ that got us into this mess !!!
I wonder if the water restrictions extend to making ice for Congressional cocktails?
GM DB
If they use a cocktail shaker, then they can use less ice for numerous drinks to start their day. LOL
gm jack
Spoken like a man who knows. ;)
"Please don't hoard water."
How? And make it sensible.
Dont worry they wont "hoard" water ....retain however.......
Some are saying this is just bad Tea that Lipton is dumping !!!
More like whored water, good afternoon gents. Yes I mean you. ☺
How soon before the lap dogs blame the POTUS for this mess? Can't wait to read the comedy hour when they do.
I assume you mean Bush, right?
Sally you sure do mention "lap dogs" allot....why?.....
This looks like a Cyberattack from the GOP-T'nut Party, most be a full moon out !!!
Must can get Musty !!!
Oh no the administration says it will take 5 years and $100,000,000.00 to fix the problem.
And award the contract to a union, preferably with a "undocumented" liberal hiring practice. But 5 years?...hell it will take that long to figure out its a problem in the first place.
Brings back memories. I worked in the water industry for nearly 30 years. When a big water line fails in a heavily populated area it is always catastrophic. I laughed when they reported that the line is old and was installed in 1980. A 33-year old pipe is relatively new in terms of water systems. Don't want to jinx my community, but we have water mains still in service in our downtown area that were installed in the late 1800's.
To all the utility workers dealing with this, keep up the good hard work, I know some of what you're dealing with. You'll have some stories to tell that will scare the pants of the rookies later.
This actually happened in Chevy Chase, MD which is outside of Washington, DC.
yeah, and the morning commute SUCKED because of it. It was painful this morning...
So Chevy Chase is washed up?.... i would tend to agree....
Hello suspects. If you did not see SNL with Timberlake you missed a good one. Chevy, Dan, Steve and more laughed my butt off.
This is actually fairly typical for utilities in the immediate DC suburbs. For some reason, they can't seem to maintain the utilities' infrastructure. Then again, I live in an area not too far from DC and we still have above-ground power lines so that every time there is snow, freezing rain, sleet, or large rainstorms there is a risk of losing power - which for someone on a well is a major issue since we need the electricity so the pump can bring us water. Water restrictions are NOTHING compared to not having ANY water at all.
Another great example of what 3 trillion dollars could have done here in OUR country vs. the Middle East! But hey, lets keep fighting over stupid sh!t!
Well said.
What would you expect from an infra-structure left to decay and fall apart?
1980? thats not old.....
Too bad it wasn't a sewer. That would have been more fitting...
now THAT scenario my friend would be of epic proportion.
Nice to see DC awash in something other than red ink.
There was a report on the radio late last fall that mentioned the water lines in DC and within a mile of the White House date from the Civil War.
Our entire country needs a new water and power grid upgrade, as well as bridges and roads. We've waged too many wars for nothing but loss of lives and money. Time to focus on this country for a change and not the corporations that profit from wars.
It is obvious that the people who wrote this article (and care about it) are not from DC. The title is as erroneous as the commentary on the U.S. Govt. posted here. Rather than bash anything associated with DC (including a SUBURBAN water main leak), how about do something in your OWN jurisdiction of a positive nature. It's easier to point a finger and blame than it is to use a hand and help.