Water main break backs up sewage, floods 20 homes
Feb 28, 2018, 6:17 PM | Updated: Mar 1, 2018, 9:21 am
WOODS CROSS – Workers were busy ripping out the floor and drywall in much of Adrienne Anderson’s basement Wednesday morning. She said it was an improvement from what she saw just 24 hours earlier.
“It was pretty devastating,” Anderson said. “All of our furniture was wet. All of our stuff was wet.”
Hers was just one of about 20 homes near 2250 South and 1450 West in Woods Cross that were dealing with basement water damage. A nearby water main break caused water to back up the drainage system, sending water into the homes Tuesday.
“It went undetected for a number of hours,” Woods Cross City Administrator Gary Uresk explained. “Some of them had minor damage. Some of them the entire basement flooded.”
Anderson said about four inches of water covered her 1,400-square-foot basement.
Repairs underway in Anderson’s basement 24 hours after a water main break
“We started getting our electronics, and our important things and our valuables, and things with sentimental value, and started hauling them up to the garage,” she said.
Uresk said it’s hard to know for sure, but he believes three pipe breaks in the area were caused by changing temperatures.
“Because of the freezing, the freeze-thaw, the frost getting down into the water pipes, the ground moves a little bit,” Uresk explained. “We tend to have more leaks this time of year because of that action in the soil.”
The city sent several contracted cleanup crews into the neighborhood, helping homeowners move their belongings out of their basements, and helping with repairs.
“They’ve been wonderful,” Anderson said. “They sent a huge crew today to help me haul all the stuff out, so I’ve been really grateful. It’s a huge blessing.”
Uresk said the city’s insurance company is taking a close look at the damage, both in the homes, and the pipes underground. Whether the breaks could have been avoided, and what caused them will all factor into how much the city covers and how much the insurance company pays for. Either way, Uresk said he believes homeowners will not have to pick up the bill. Meantime, he said some homeowners may have to flush out their water systems.
“We’ve told residents that if there’s a little discoloration in the water, just to let it run for a while,” he said.
