Water-Line Breaks Inundate Downtown, Disrupt Business
Five water lines in downtown San Diego broke Thursday, flooding businesses and sending 150 employees of San Diego Gas & Electric Co. home for the day.
The breaks, all of which happened between 2 and 7:30 a.m., may have been caused by a malfunctioning valve that regulates pressure, or it may have occurred in a spontaneous chain reaction, said Yvonne Rehg of the Water Utilities Department.
Rehg said work crews expected to have the pipes repaired by late Thursday.
The rupture of a 12-inch water line in the 200 block of A Street affected water service to SDG&E.; About 150 of the 1,200 employees in the building were sent home, and 2 dozen portable toilets were brought in for the remaining employees, SDG&E; spokesman Tom Murnane said, adding that service to customers was not affected.
A break at State Street and Broadway sent 1 million gallons of water into the Emerald Shapery Center construction site, interrupting work there for the day, Rehg said.
Other breaks occurred in the 400 block of 5th Avenue, the 2300 block of Newton Avenue and at Beech and State streets.
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