San Diego

Water Main Break Floods Mission Boulevard, Boil Water Advisory Lifted

Flooding stretched for blocks along Mission Boulevard and flowed into some garages

NBC Universal, Inc.

Broken water mains caused massive flooding in South Mission Beach Wednesday and created a sinkhole in the pavement large enough to disable a utility van.

SkyRanger 7 flew over the beach community just before 5 p.m. and saw floodwaters stretching for blocks along Mission Boulevard. Water was also flooding alleys branching off of the main street.

NBC 7's Dana Williams got an up-close look at how traffic is handling the floodwater.

According to the San Diego Public Utilities Department (PUD), a pipe connecting two water mains burst on Bayside Lane sending water gushing through the neighborhood.

In some places, the water level reached nearly halfway up the wheels of passing cars. Some homes in the area had water flowing into their garages.

SkyRanger 7 saw cars driving through bumper-high waters.

Some residents reported seeing a van stuck in what appeared to be a sinkhole on Bayside Lane. NBC 7 obtained pictures and video of the truck with its front end stuck in the hole.

The floodwater receded to reveal a large hole in the pavement next to a manhole. The driver told witness Rene Coker it felt like he was driving through the sand for a moment before the wheels of his van dipped below the street surface.

Water service in the area was restored by 9 a.m. Thursday and a precautionary boil water advisory issued for 25 homes in the area was lifted on Saturday morning.

The cause of the main break has yet to be determined.

NBC 7's Dave Summers has more details on what caused the flooding in Mission Beach.

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