Water main break causes flooding, icy road in Detroit neighborhood
(CBS DETROIT) - A Detroit neighborhood on the west side looked like a frozen river after a water main break on Monday caused flooding and then an icy road.
It happened near the corner of Vaughn and Constance streets with the story.
According to the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD), a significant number of water main breaks have been reported throughout the city due to frigid temperatures. A spokesperson says they are working to fix the problems as quickly as possible.
"I would say early Saturday, I started experiencing low pressure with water we've been calling. Finally got someone on the phone with the Water Department yesterday," said homeowner Lakeya Jenkins.
DWSD crews spent the afternoon trying to break up the ice on Vaughn and Constance streets. A truck poured salt down and then multiple front-end loaders were brought in to move the ice and water off the street and into the sewer.
"We did have to turn the water main off, so unfortunately, this block right here is out of temporary water service," said DWSD spokesperson Bryan Peckinpaugh. "This is a priority area. Clear the ice, make it safe, repair the water main. We do apologize for the delay. People started calling this in over the weekend, and we have several water main breaks throughout the city because of the frigid temperatures."
Homeowners say they have never experienced flooding quite like this before.
"In the summertime, when it rains, and it rains really bad, then it'll get flooded like this. We just have to just go and rake out the drain. However, this is the worst it's been. People are getting stuck," Jenkins said.
They say they feel lucky because just enough water is dripping from the faucet to prevent the pipes from bursting.
DWSD is asking people to avoid the area until it's safe to drive through. Homeowners in this area should have their water turned back on by this evening.