Main Break Damages Homes, Leaves Residents Without Water In Prior Lake

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The change in temperature proved too much for a six-inch water main in the City of Prior Lake.

The pipe shattered, sending water into nearby streets and basements.

Homeowners on Green Heights Trail have been dealing with flooded basements since Sunday evening.

WCCO's Reg Chapman has more on the cleanup efforts.

The sound of running water is not what Trent Bachelor expected to hear in the middle of winter coming from his basement.

He and his fiancé Carrie said it didn't take long to figure out where the water was coming from.

"The alarm went off so we called the city and they came rushing out," explained Bachelor. "By then, there was already a foot of water in the basement in about 30 minutes."

Trent and Carrie took pictures of how water and sewage pooled up outside their home. Inside, it came up through their toilet bowl and bath tub, as well as the washer room.

The yucky brown stuff was moving in so fast, the city was forced to turn the water off.

"Basically in the basement anything that was on the ground is gone," said Bachelor.

Crews said the extreme cold, mixed in with a warm up and then more cold, proved to be fatal for the water main.

City officials say it may take time to determine what impact, if any, weather had on the aging pipe. What they do know is it left a mess to be cleaned up.

"It backed up pipe and into the floor drains of the three homes here in the lower area next to the lift station," explained Jason Wedell, the City of Prior Lake Public Works Director.

Trent and his neighbors are taking it all in stride.

"It is what it is, you know it happens," said Bachelor with a smile.

The City of Prior Lake is working with the handful of homeowners who now have water in their basements. We're told everything should be cleaned up and back to normal in the next few days.

The City of Prior Lake says first priority is restoring water service to homes in the area.