July 13, 2000 Five water main breaks keep San Diego city crews busy

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Problems with five water mains, including a break that flooded streets and a homeless shelter, kept crews hopscotching across downtown San Diego on Thursday. The worst break was at 16th and K streets where a 12-inch main burst, sending water washing down the street and leaving the basement of the St. Vincent de Paul shelter 5 inches deep in water.

It was not immediately clear how much water escaped, said Tedi Jackson, a spokeswoman for San Diego Water Services.

Two of the breaks were construction-related but the other three burst after a valve was left open, Jackson said.

The valve regulates water pressure between downtown, which is a low pressure area, and neighborhoods to the east, which are high pressure areas. The high pressure water flowed freely into downtown, causing the three mains to burst.

"The system has stabilized. We're looking into why (the valve) was opened," she said.

The breaks were reported within hours of each other, and prompted the water department to halt service to several apartments and businesses.

By 3:30 p.m., only the area along 16th Street was without service. Jackson expected repair work would continue until 10 p.m.

The first problem was reported before 7 a.m. in the historic Old Town neighborhood where a construction crew struck a pipeline. By 10:30 a.m., two other problems arose, one at 13th and F streets and the break on 16th Street.

By the afternoon, two more breaks were reported, one at 8th Street and Convention Way downtown and another at 28th Street and Harbor Drive.

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), July 14, 2000