Crews are working to repair a water main break in the 6550 block of El Cajon Boulevard. The leak happened around 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the Rolando area and shut down a major roadway near SDSU Friday morning.
Images from news crews in the area showed water gushing down the street and what fire officials have estimated as a 10-by-10 foot sinkhole. Officials said a 20-inch old cast iron pipe ruptured and may not be fixed until Friday afternoon. A city water spokesperson confirms the city does not have any 20 inch PVC pipe to fix the broken main. The part will have to be borrowed from another jurisdiction in the County, possibly San Marcos according to a worker at the site.
San Diego Fire Department officials said the force of the water had uplifted the street. The area is shut down and traffic will be affected until possibly noon Friday. Officials said no businesses or homes were threatened by flooding. According to the city water department, the only customers affected at this point are the businesses along El Cajon Blvd. One of those businesses belongs to Nancy Erickson who owns a dog wash. "Obviously we're not happy about it. It killed our business for the day, could potentially kill our business for tomorrow so we just hope they get it fixed quickly, said Erickson.
On Thursday afternoon water officials reported a second water problem in La Jolla. A water valve broke and leaked water onto Torrey Pines Road at La Jolla Shore Drive. According to San Diego fire officials and the city water department, there was erosion and buckling along Torrey Pines Road although a water department spokesperson said surrounding homes did not see a disruption in water service.
