Line break sends water gushing in Point Place

6/29/2013
BY MIKE SIGOV
BLADE STAFF WRITER
A wate- main break closed part of Edgewater Drive in Point Place Friday morning, leading to a temporary street closing in the 5500 block near Edgewater School.
A wate- main break closed part of Edgewater Drive in Point Place Friday morning, leading to a temporary street closing in the 5500 block near Edgewater School.

Phil Bremer stepped out on the porch to get his paper early Friday when he saw the road buckle in front of his Point Place house.

“The pavement was raised about four feet and the water was bubbling,” Mr. Bremer, 67, said. “About an hour later, the water shot up in the air.”

Donald Vanderhorst, 88, another neighbor, agreed.

“It was big,” he said. “It was really going up in the air, about 30 feet.”

The water main break occurred about 5 a.m., closing Edgewater Drive in its 5500 block near Edgewater School, Toledo police said.

One southbound lane reopened to intermittent traffic in both directions about 7:30 a.m.

Ninety minutes later, the two neighbors remained at the scene, watching repair crews work on the damaged water main. It had been excavated by that time.

Mayoral spokesman Jen Sorgenfrei said the 12-inch-wide cast-iron water main, which was 50 years old, likely broke because of soil contraction caused by extreme temperature changes.

Several households in the vicinity experienced temporary loss of pressure when the water main was shut down about 6 a.m., Ms. Sorgenfrei said.

The water main was repaired about 1 p.m., at which time water pressure was restored to the affected households, she said.

City crews continued to repair the street Friday afternoon, expecting to finish the job nightfall, she said.

Ms. Sorgenfrei said the incident did not interfere with any police, fire, or emergency medical vehicles runs.

Mr. Bremer, who lives alone, was among those who lost water pressure.

The retired Libbey–Owens–Ford electrician said he was ready for it.

“Before they shut it off, I stored my water in buckets, took a shower, and shaved,” he said.

Contact Mike Sigov at: sigov@theblade.com, 419-724-6089, or on Twitter @mikesigovblade.