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Water Main Breaks in Escondido, More Than 500 Homes Affected

Repairs are complete after a water main break left more than 500 customers without water in Escondido Friday evening.

A 55-year-old steel pipe ruptured on San Pasqual Road and Ryan Drive just before 5:30 p.m., according to Greg Thomas, General Manager of Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District. 

Rincon del Diablo Water had finished the repairs around 9 p.m. Saturday evening but said it may take some time for the water to get to different homes. The company said it's a good idea to run the water for a few minutes once it starts working again. 

Thomas told NBC 7 crews were working to figure out why the pipe broke but believe it could be because the bolts came loose or corroded.

He said utility officials would have to stop the flow of water before they could dig into the ground to reach the pipe. Thomas said crews were taking precautions since there is a 4-inch gas line in the area.

"We take our time because of safety and no other occurrences involved," Thomas said.

On Saturday morning, the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District said crews had been working on the broken water main overnight. Pipes were continuing to drain, which had delayed repairs and service restoration to homes in the area.

At 9:30 a.m., water officials said crews had begun cutting into the pipe and were working diligently to make headway on the repairs.

Just before 12 p.m. on Saturday, Thomas told NBC 7 that crews had been able to remove the bad portions of the pipe and were now making the repairs.

Thomas said they were aiming to complete the repairs by Saturday evening, but he wasn’t sure when water service would be restored to residents in the area.

As of 12 p.m., Thomas confirmed there were still 503 homes without water.

By 2:30 p.m., the water district said they were aiming to have water restored to residents by 6:30 p.m. 

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