Crash with fire hydrant sparked main break in northwest Houston, neighbor says
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A large water main leak in northwest Houston sent water high into the air for hours.
Early Friday morning, witnesses reported large amounts of water at the intersection of W. 43rd Street and Watonga, near US-290.
According to a neighbor in the area, a woman hit a fire hydrant in the median around midnight, and that's when the water started flowing.
The neighbor said they heard a loud bang outside and came out to see the woman's car in the median. They said the car was so damaged, it had to be towed away.
ABC13 crews at the scene could see the tire tracks in the grass from the crash.
Public works shut off the water and the "geyser" stopped just before 9 a.m.
There was fear that the neighborhood would be without water, but the city's public works said no one is going without it. Officials explained that they reroute the water supply while field crews fix the break.
Public works cautioned that customers may experience low pressure, but they assured there would be no serious impact to service.
And, for added measure, the utility is reminding Houstonians to dial 311 if they see someone crash into fire hydrants.
Traffic was still moving through the neighborhood.
