The 2800 block of White Rock Road was underwater Monday after a massive water main break, and the street will remain closed for at least another day until repairs are finished.
Although this one was particularly catastrophic — the Dallas Morning News reported yesterday morning that cars were actually submerged and residents were trapped in their homes — water main breaks are quite routine in the summertime as temperatures top 100 degrees.
A water main broke near the Zang Triangle apartments in Oak Cliff on Sunday, and last week in Preston Hollow, the area around Marsh and Walnut Hill flooded after a pipe burst.
In a statement to the Morning News, the city’s spokesman Frank Librio said crews repair about four water main breaks or leaks each day, and the average for this time of year is six per day. The hot and dry weather causes the soil in the ground to shift, disrupting the pipes underneath. Plus, they are pretty old.
Most of the city’s water main pipes were built between 1926 and 1977. At last week’s city council meeting, members voted to install new water and wastewater mains all across the city for about $9,261,831 of capital improvement funds. The construction on select neighborhood streets should begin in August.
The city hasn’t released an official cause of Monday’s incident. For now, you might want to avoid the corner of White Rock Road and West Lawther Drive.
Check out NBC 5 reporter Keaton Fox’s Vine video from when the pipe burst in the early morning hours.
