Water Department trucks at the corner of 25th and Shotwell fixed a broken water main this afternoon. Photo by Joe Rivano Barros.

A water transmission main line broke Monday afternoon at around noon, but was promptly fixed within 30 minutes with little fanfare.

At the beginning, water was spewing upwards into the air at the corner of 25th and Shotwell, the result of a broken water pipe underground. But the Water Department was quickly on the scene and had the main line up and running in no time.

“We fixed it. I’d say we had it done in around 20 minutes,” said a Water Department worker on the site. “We’d like a Medal of Honor for this,” he joked.

A few blocks down at 23rd and Shotwell, some water was rushing forth from a hole in the ground as Water Department trucks guarded the scene, but the trickle stopped as soon as the main site at 25th fixed the broken pipe.

Workers at the site said that there was water upsurge for a couple of blocks in either direction, but that no damage had occurred.

Mission Local was tipped off to the break by a reader, who saw water spewing upwards from his office at the corner of Mission and Market streets. Photo below.

The view of a water main eruption at 25th and Shotwell from Market Street. Photo courtesy of Mission Local reader.
The view of a water main eruption at 25th and Shotwell from Market Street. Photo courtesy of Mission Local reader.

Follow Us

Joe was born in Sweden, where half of his family received asylum after fleeing Pinochet, and then spent his early childhood in Chile; he moved to Oakland when he was eight. He attended Stanford University for political science and worked at Mission Local as a reporter after graduating. He then spent time at YIMBY Action and as a partner for the strategic communications firm The Worker Agency. He rejoined Mission Local as an editor in 2023. You can reach him on Signal @jrivanob.99.

Join the Conversation

1 Comment

  1. I was walking past that intersection about quarter to noon and saw a Water Department worker and his green & white truck there. He was striking that very water main cover repeatedly with what looked to be a 5′ prybar.
    Not long after I saw the water plume from two blocks away and headed back.
    Neighbors said when the main broke he jumped into the truck and left the scene, fast.

    0
    0
    votes. Sign in to vote
    Reply
Leave a comment
Please keep your comments short and civil. Do not leave multiple comments under multiple names on one article. We will zap comments that fail to adhere to these short and easy-to-follow rules.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *