The North Park water tower, declared a historic landmark over ten years ago, has stood since 1924, but newer pipes still supply water to the area.

SAN DIEGO — City crews have successfully repaired a leak at the University Heights Reservoir, near the North Park Water Tower. It had led to water pouring onto the street, with neighbors reporting seeing the leak on Sunday morning and describing an unusual scene as water gushed from the doors.

The iconic green water tower, located on Howard Avenue and Idaho Street, was declared a historic landmark over ten years ago and has stood since 1924, but newer pipes still supply water to the area. The leak was caused by a failed gasket inside the adjacent University Heights Reservoir, according to the City.



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“I walked out of my house, and there was a lot of water rushing right here,” one neighbor recounted. 

“I looked over at the doors, and there was water gushing out of there too,” Beau Stephens added. 

City crews arrived shortly after neighbors reported the leak, addressing it within hours. They needed San Diego Gas & Electric to shut off power to the area for safety before entering. By noon, the flow of water had been halted.

Despite the sizable leak, the city reassured residents that service remained uninterrupted throughout the incident. 

“I see it every day; I’ve never seen it running, never seen people working on it – so when I heard it was leaking, I was like, ‘ok, wow,’” one neighbor said, expressing surprise at the leak.

The City confirmed that the broken gasket has since been replaced.

Here is the full statement from the City of San Diego:

The issue causing the water leak in North Park was located inside the University Heights Reservoir, a separate structure located near the Water Tower. The Water Tower itself does not contain any water. 

A gasket failed on equipment inside the University Heights Reservoir, causing the leak. City crews responded at approximately 10:30 AM. The issue required coordination with SDG&E to shut off power to the facility so that City staff could safely enter the facility to make repairs. The gasket was replaced, which stopped the leak shortly after 12:00 PM. 

There were no water service impacts to customers as a result of this issue.