Downtown Fort Worth water main break affecting pressure in nearby neighborhood
A water main break in downtown Fort Worth on Thursday morning affected taps as far as the Fairmount neighborhood, about a mile and a half to the south.
Streets were blocked as crews worked to stop a gusher spilling water onto West Lancaster Avenue and Henderson Street.
The break is on a large line that feeds into smaller neighborhood lines that bring water into homes, said Fort Worth water department spokesperson Mary Gugliuzza in an email to the Star-Telegram
“There are multiple valves to close on large-diameter lines and it can take hundreds of turns on each one, while fighting water pressure,” Gugliuzza said.
Social media posts from a private Facebook group showed the break affected residents as far as the 2100 block of Fairmount Avenue.
Cook Children’s Hospital, about a mile south of the break, experienced low pressure, but did not affect patient care, said spokesperson Kim Brown in an email to the Star-Telegram.
“Thankfully, we have an internal backup water system so events like this do not really impact us,” she said.
It’s not clear when the break will be fixed. After the valves are closed, the water department will need to dig around the break to assess the damage.
“This one will take a while,” Gugliuzza said.
There have been 378 water main breaks in Fort Worth this year as of Aug. 14. High heat sucks moisture out of the soil causing it to shift and crack pipes. There’s also increased demand, which puts a strain on water mains.
The city encourages residents to report main breaks using the MyFW app or by calling 817-392-4477.
This story was originally published August 17, 2023 at 10:23 AM.
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