PHILADELPHIA – A significant water main break at 9th Street and Montgomery caused flooding and road collapse early Monday morning.
Water main break impacts local area
What we know:
A 30-inch cast iron transmission main, installed in 1879, ruptured around 8:30 a.m., releasing approximately four million gallons of water.
Emergency crews isolated the break within 2.5 hours, preventing any further loss of water access to customers.
The escaping water caused a section of the road to collapse, swallowing a parked vehicle, which was later removed.
Flooding affected several basements downhill on 9th Street toward Berks.
What they’re saying:
“It was terrible. At one point the water was receding. Then it started to rise back again. So, you had water coming down Eighth Street and water coming down Ninth Street,” said Leslie Boone who is a resident.
“A lot of our pipes are reaching or beyond their service life,” said Justin Roig. He and his roommate were out walking Friday night.
“It’s very muddy,” he said. He describes what it looked like earlier in the day.
“My roommate and I walked up to about here and then we saw someone with a raft and people in boots. So, it was pretty impassable,” said Roig.
“So, the water rose up? Yeah,” said a man named Andre. He is hearing impaired and lives in a building nearby.
“You saw this? Yeah,” he said. Andre showed how far up the water was along the ramp to his building. He also pointed out the waterline on cars parked out front.
Boone will not soon forget what he witnessed.
“It looked like a river out here,” he said.
What you can do:
Residents and vehicle owners affected by the flooding are advised to document any damages and contact the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) at (215) 685-6300 if they have not been reached by Customer Field Services.
Repair efforts and street closure
PWD is working to make the site safe for inspection and repair planning.
The timeline for restoring the street and infrastructure will be determined after inspections.
9th Street will remain closed between Berks and Montgomery while repairs are underway.
PWD is coordinating with residents and insurance providers to assess damages.
What we don’t know:
The exact timeline for the completion of repairs and the full extent of the damage to infrastructure and properties are still being assessed.
The Source: Information from the Philadelphia Water Department.