More than a day and a half after a pipe ruptured, spewing water high into the air and flooding homes, 52 customers in Rancho San Diego are still without water.
Otay Water District crews hoped to fix the break at Hillsdale Road overnight Wednesday, but officials said a complication kept the repairs from happening. They have not given a new timeline on when repairs will be finished.
They are dealing with a system of small leaks across the broken 12-inch line. Armando Buelna with the water district said crews are installing a patch for the leak, but others are popping up.
If the patch doesn't work, the workers will install a high line to pump in water temporarily, which would restore service to 38 of the 52 homes.
Meanwhile, Buelna said the district brought in four water tanks to assist the community and workers have been delivering bottles of water to homes.
Officials are in constant contact with residents, according to Buelna.
About 380,000 gallons of water flowed onto Hillsdale Road between Jamacha Road and Chase Avenue Wednesday.
A geyser, caused by the broken line, shot up well above the electrical lines and could be seen from more than a mile away.
The resulting flood rushed into at least two homes and four to five outbuildings. The worst hit home belongs to Donita Blalock, who has been running dehumidifiers and airscrubbers all day. To cut down on the spread of mold, a remediation team is keeping the house at 105 degrees.
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"It's difficult," said Blalock. "I hurt my knee. I can't run around like I used to, and so I have my mom and a walker and my little dog. We're puddling right along."
Blalock said her 15 prize koi fish did not survive the flooding. Repairs to her home will cost thousands of dollars.
On Wednesday, Otay Water crews told NBC 7 they have had problems on this stretch of road before, but nothing like this.
