(iPhone photo by Christopher Boffoli from Harbor Island, added 10:53 pm)
ORIGINAL 10:21 PM REPORT: We got a call about a water-main break and have just confirmed with Seattle Public Utilities‘ Andy Ryan that a 12″ main is broken in the 3200 block of 16th SW. No other details yet, but apparently some people are without water as a result. That address is on Harbor Island, by the way (map). 11:01 PM UPDATE: From WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli at the water-main-break scene: “12 inch water main broke around 9pm. No idea what caused the break. Has caused water outages in West Seattle. Repair may take 6 hours. Some businesses on Harbor Island are flooded out.” 11:14 PM UPDATE: More from Christopher: “Estimated 60,000 gallons of water spilled until they were able to turn it off. No idea how many households are affected but calls are coming in to SPU from a number of West Seattle customers.” As Aaron points out in comments, the Fire Department has now been summoned to the water-main-break location, which is described on the 911 log as “water job minor.” 11:40 PM UPDATE: More from Christopher, who has talked with SPU spokesperson Andy Ryan at the scene: “… the pipe that broke was new. The service had recently been moved farther away from the building. Andy speculates that there may have been a problem with the installation or some of the materials may have had a failure. They will have to do a forensic examination to determine exactly what happened.” 11:54 PM UPDATE: New information from Christopher – he’s been told SFD will be pumping several feet of water out of the basement of Seattle Bulk Rail. Also, new estimate of how much water was lost – almost 850,000 gallons – which was said to have caused a pressure drop so dramatic, it was felt as far away as Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill. ADDED 1:07 AM: A few more photos from Christopher:

We’ll be checking with SPU in the morning for new information about what happened and who in all was affected.