FORT WORTH, Texas — Water spewing from a broken pipe tore shingles off roofs, shredded trees, and flooded homes in an eastern Fort Worth neighborhood Monday.
Fort Worth water department spokesperson Mary Gugliuzza told WFAA a telecommunications crew Monday mistakenly drilled into the 33-inch water main, which runs to DFW Airport. The city considers the pipeline “critical,” she said.
“When you have a hole in the pipe, the water – which is under high pressure – comes out of that hole at high pressure,” she said. “This went airborne.”
The water department spent more than an hour trying to shut off the flow. The pipe’s size and configuration complicated the process, Gugliuzza said.
By 7 a.m. Tuesday, the city had a replacement pipe in place and was working to slowly restore service, Fort Worth said in a statement. It would still be several hours before the pipe was back in service.
As workers rushed to contain the leak, water blasted into nearby homes. At least five houses on Trinity Vista Trail are damaged.
The water line on Susie Clark’s living room wall is almost two feet high.
“It’s devastating,” she said. “It’s like a tornado hit this house.”
Clark says she’s lived in the house for 23 years. She’ll have to replace everything but a cabinet containing the family antiques.
She was not home during the flood, and both her cats survived.
"I’m very lucky,” she said. “But just to see all of my belongings and the house like this – it’s probably the most upsetting thing I’ve ever had happen.”
AT&T said in a statement that it aims to minimize the impact of construction on residents.
"In this case, as soon as our contractor was aware of any damage, the local utility provider was notified to make repairs to the water main as quickly as possible," the statement reads. "We have been in contact with city officials and are working with all parties as the cause of the damages is investigated."
The company asked city surveyors to identify pipelines and underground infrastructure in early August, Gugliuzza said. At the time, she said the city of Fort Worth instructed the company to hold off on the work.
The city did not communicate further with the company, Gugliuzza added, stopping short of saying the crew should not have been digging in the area Monday.
“That’s for attorneys and risk [management] folks to hash out,” she said.
Clark said AT&T should be responsible for the cleanup.
“I have faith,” Clark said. “I know everything will be okay. I’m alive and I’ll get over this.”
The city of Hurst, which receives the majority of its water from the transmission line, is asking residents to refrain from using outdoor watering/irrigation for the next 24 hours to maintain water pressure.
"Fort Worth has indicated that the repairs will be completed within the next 24 hours. In order to maintain adequate water system pressure, the City is asking everyone to refrain from using outdoor watering/irrigation for the next 24 hours," an announcement from the city of Hurst reads. "We are also asking that you please limit water usage to essential business and personal needs."