Water main break causes significant road damage in Centerville

CENTERVILLE — A major water main break closed a key road in Centerville. An underground pipe burst Monday, spewing out nearly 2 million gallons of water and causing significant road damage.

Centerville Public Works said crews were out all night fixing the water line at 1450 N. Main St. It left a massive hole in the road, and the whole area is closed until they can make the necessary street repairs.

Centerville was out surveying the damage with the Utah Department of Transportation Tuesday morning. They said a water line several feet down just blew up Monday afternoon.

"A 10-inch PVC pipe just basically blew into pieces. It was a full exposed just 210-inch pipe just spewing out water," said Dave Walker, Centerville deputy public works director.

People who live next to the intersection caught video as the water began to bubble up and flood the street; other angles show cars still trying to make their way through it. Some neighbors saw what was happening and quickly called 911.

"The road was flooded and buckling, and people were driving right over it," said Hadlie Berklacich, a Centerville resident.

Related:

Witness offers account of moments prior to massive Provo water main 'geyser'

Eyewitness Jonah Rollins described the geyser reaching up to 100 feet high.

The break shut down water service for 75 homes for at least five hours until crews fixed the line overnight.

"We ended up losing approximately 1.8 million gallons over the course of those five hours," Walker said.

Tuesday morning, the city showed KSL-TV the damage it left behind. Right now, what caused it remains unclear, but the ordeal did cause some concern.

"We didn't have water for a couple of hours, then our water was brown for a little while," said Emily Jeppson, a Centerville resident. "My son came home from a basketball game and just drank the water, and said, 'Wait, I'm not supposed to drink the water.' I'm hoping he's OK."

Many residents here are grateful it wasn't worse.

"Well, it wasn't as bad as the one in Provo; at least it didn't ruin cars and damage buildings," said Kent Holbrook, a Centerville resident.

The city said the water is now safe to drink, but you may want to flush it out first to get rid of any discoloration. As for the road repairs, the city is meeting with contractors on Tuesday and hopes to patch it up by the end of the week.

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