4:18 PM: We’ve just heard from several people in Gatewood and Sunrise Heights who are suddenly without water. Nothing’s on the Seattle Public Utilities outage map so far. We’re checking with SPU; in the meantime, here’s the number to call if it’s happened to you – 206-386-1800 (although we’re being told people are having trouble getting through).
(Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand unless otherwise credited)
4:34 PM: Highland Park is affected too. Our crew has just confirmed there’s a broken line at 24th/Kenyon – and describes the water going up from it as a “geyser.” Photo added.
4:40 PM: Another angle:
(Video added:)
There’s also word of some nearby apartments being flooded. This is the same area where “natural drainage system” work has been under way, as reported here in June.
4:55 PM: Yet another view added above. We’re waiting to hear from SPU on how long it’s expected to take to get water service back. So far this is believed to be a 24″-wide water main.
5:06 PM: From SPU spokesperson Sabrina Register: “Crews are on the scene to shut down water at the site of the break (SW Kenyon and 24th Ave SW) with the goal of restoring service to customers who are temporarily without water, but I don’t yet have a estimate of when service will be restored.”
5:31 PM: Per commenters, at least some water is back, and the geyser’s been shut off. (added) Here’s a texted photo – thank you!
6:08 PM: We’ve just confirmed at the scene that what’s ruptured is indeed a 24″ line:
No word yet on exactly how this happened. The outage is now shown on the SPU map but the information is incomplete – it doesn’t show the full area affected, and it attributes the problem to “planned outage,” with a restoration estimate of 10 pm (though as you know if you’ve been with us for power-outage coverage, those estimates seldom bear any resemblance to what eventually happens – sometimes much earlier, sometimes much later).
6:41 PM: No further updates from SPU so far. Some commenters are reporting that they have water but it’s brown – disruptions of even much smaller size tend to cause that, stirring up “sediment” (mostly rust) in the lines. Here’s some SPU advice on how to handle that.
7:30 PM: As noted by SFD, residents of at least six apartments were forced out by flooding. This video by Ben Rupp of MKH.MFG shows how the water battered the apartments like waves in a winter storm:
Also received: This photo from a texter showing how Longfellow Creek’s water level rose because of all the spewed water:
8:32 PM: Update from SPU:
SPU has restored service to most if not all of the customers in West Seattle who were without water late Monday afternoon. A 24-inch water main break at SW Kenyon and 24th Ave SW caused hundreds of customers to temporarily lose service.
If customers experience temporary water discoloration as their service is restored, we recommend they wait until it clears before drinking it. They can run the cold water for a few minutes to see if it clears. More tips can be found on our website.
SPU is working on a plan to repair the 24-inch water main. We don’t know what caused the break but are looking into it.
9:13 PM: Revised estimate from SPU: They now believe about 2,000 customers (homes/businesses/etc.) were without water during the peak of the outage.
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