A Bethesda, Maryland neighborhood experienced a sudden flood when a water main broke along Wisconsin Avenue amid a snowstorm. Jim Roy, a local resident, described the onset of the flooding as a "huge bang and flowing water." Roy's home was significantly impacted, with an estimated 2-3 feet of water accumulating in his basement, according to WUSA9. The water's force was enough to bend his garage door inward and prompted Roy, with the assistance of his neighbor, to begin shoveling a pathway to divert the water towards a nearby drain.
The 16-inch pipe rupture led the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) to shut off water service to the area, affecting six customers, including businesses and an apartment building. WSSC crewmembers worked to repair the breach and provided alternative supplies, such as bottled water, to those affected. "A lot of the stuff will be salvageable I think, but the drywall, some of my equipment, my sofa, that's going to be a complete loss," Roy told WUSA9. WSSC Water agreed to assist with cleanup efforts, starting by pumping out the water that had accumulated in Roy's driveway.
The flooding occurred after a snowbank, formed by snowplows clearing the main road, redirected the surge of water down Elm Street instead of into the storm drain, detailed Roy. Efforts by the residents to clear the snow for water runoff proved effective, saving Roy's property from more severe damages. A WSSC Water worker reportedly spent hours pumping out water from Roy's basement, capable of removing 1,000 gallons a minute, as Roy recounted to WJLA.
The cause of the water main break remains undetermined, according to a WSSC spokesperson who also stated that no boil advisory was issued due to the incident. Each winter, WSSC contends with more than 1,100 water main breaks and leaks. Despite the adverse weather conditions, which presented additional challenges for the crew, repair works, which normally take 4 to 6 hours after the pipe's excavation, continued on the 4700 block of Wisconsin Avenue. WSSC initially had to halt repairs to wait for a contractor to mark other utility lines, ensuring that further damage would not occur during the repair process, as reported by NBC Washington.
Concerns arose that portions of Wisconsin Avenue might sink as a result of the main break; however, such outcomes have not been confirmed at the time of reporting. As repair efforts progressed, the affected area of Wisconsin Avenue remained closed while water service was suspended. WSSC maintained an active presence on the scene to manage the repairs and to assist those impacted by the floodwaters.
