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San Jose utility crews work to fix water main break

By and KTVU staff
Published  November 2, 2023 10:01am PDT
San Jose
KTVU FOX 2

Crews work to repair broken water main in San Jose

Water has been turned back on for two dozen homes after a major water line ruptured Thursday morning in San Jose. The water service was restored shortly after 10 p.m. But the residents were without water for almost an entire day.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Water has been turned back on for two dozen homes after a major water line ruptured Thursday morning in San Jose. The water service was restored shortly after 10 p.m. 

San Jose Water worked throughout the day to get the pipe replaced, and now they’ll have to remove mud and get the street repaired. 

"Well, there’s no water for bathing, cooking, nothing," said JoAnn, of San Jose, before restoration.   

Frustrated residents living near Martha and 7th Street say they’re trying to make adjustments after a main water line burst around 1:30 Thursday morning.  

"We’ve been having to go to Target to go to the bathroom. I had to brush my teeth and wash my face with a water bottle. So, it’s definitely been a struggle," said Sonya Kaur, who lives near the water main break.      

Crews began delivering bottled water to the households affected. San Jose Water says the pipe on Martha was first installed in 1896, and they believe it’s simply worn out. Around 7pm, crews replaced the old 12" cast iron pipe with a new 16" pipe and continued working to restore service. 

Crews work to fix water main break in San Jose

San Jose utility crews worked to fix a water main break early Thursday morning.

"It’s pretty bad. Imagine waking up like first thing in the morning, you’re trying to get ready for work. Then there’s no water for anything. It’s a good thing we had a few water bottles up there; just enough to get ready for work, but this is crazy," said Danielle Barron, of San Jose.     

Rushing water also softened the soil and street pavement, causing a partial sinkhole. San Jose Water says they replace about 24 miles of piping each year, but there’s still a lot of aging infrastructure and some pipes will rupture. But for now, residents say they just want their water service working again.  

"I guess we’re just taking it day by day, and hopefully it’ll be finished by tomorrow," Kaur said.   

"I think the city’s doing a good job trying to get it fixed as fast as they can. They dropped off some water to us, so yeah," said Juliette, a San Jose State University student.      

San Jose Water also told KTVU another water pipe about six miles from Martha Street near Jackson Street and McKee ruptured Thursday. They’re working to repair it as well.

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