Anaheim : Settlement Approved in Water Main Break

A few days before Christmas last year, Jay C. Contreras was waxing his skis, preparing for a trip, when a water main broke behind his family’s home in Anaheim Hills.

“It was like a river flowing through our backyard--I’m not kidding,” Contreras said.

City Council members on Tuesday authorized a $49,833 settlement with the Contreras family, whose home experienced the most damage of three houses on South Andover Drive that were hit by the flowing water and mud. The city already had settled claims with the owners of the two other houses.

On Dec. 21, the Contreras family was surprised when an 8-inch main water line erupted around 7 p.m. About half an hour later, “the hill caved in,” said Contreras, who, along with his father and mother, found himself using all available towels and linen to battle the dirty water that swept through the ground floor of the two-story house.

The family’s German shepherd, Jute, still is not fully recovered from the incident, Contreras said. Included in the settlement with the city is a $74 veterinarian bill for the dog, which suffered “severe weight loss.” Said Contreras: “He just sort of went into shock.”