ESCONDIDO — A 40-year-old water main ruptured on March 3 spewing about 800,000 to 1 million gallons of water onto South Broadway, according to Deputy Director of water utilities Lori Rountree.
The rupture caused a sinkhole and road closures along South Broadway between Third and Fourth avenues until Wednesday.
Rountree said the water main repair was fairly quick but the resurfacing of the street took longer.
The cause of the break hasn’t been determined although Rountree said it was a particularly cold night, which may have been the cause.
The only affected building was Central Elementary School.
The school had running water by 7 a.m., which was a disappointment to the students who were hoping for a day off, said Rountree.
She said the utilities department doesn’t do any forensic work on the pipes because of the cost.
A lot of the pipes throughout the city are old, some date back 60 years.
Replacing them depends on Capital Improvement Funds, which are determined by the City Council every fiscal year.
The most recent main replacement project was the Alexandra pipeline.
Rountree said the department has shifted their attention toward replacing tanks until more funding is available.
