Why Connecticut Avenue in Van Ness was a river one Saturday

Our first thought upon emerging from the Van Ness Metro station on the afternoon of Saturday, November 9th was that there had been a brief but intense downpour. But we quickly realized only Connecticut Avenue was flooded. And we found the source on the next block.

A 12-inch water main had ruptured outside the UDC Student Center, scattering dirt and brick pavers and sending a powerful stream of water up Connecticut. Some was going into storm drains on the way north, but the force of the flow pushed much of the water beyond 4250 Connecticut…

…To a storm drain at 4340 Connecticut that swallowed the remainder. A child helping to pack up the UDC Van Ness farmers market declared it “oddly satisfying” to watch.

DC Water quickly sent a crew and DC police officers helped block southbound lanes while they worked.

Twitter users as far south as Porter Street reported losing some water pressure. Some lost water service entirely for a time. And a large area west of Connecticut Avenue was still under a boil water advisory due to a water main break in Virginia on Friday. So people were naturally curious: Would this mean the advisory would be extended to a larger area? DC Water said no.

NBC4 later reported that the crew was able to isolate the emergency shutoff to the UDC campus.

By Sunday afternoon, the sidewalk had been shored up and filled in.

DC Water didn’t give any specific cause for the break, but the cold Friday night and Saturday morning could have been a factor.

“Unfortunately, when temperatures drop, our aging infrastructure is prone to water main breaks,” DC Water said on Twitter.

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