Water Main Break Closes South Main Street

Update: 8:15 a.m. Wednesday: EBMUD crews worked on the break into Tuesday evening. Shoppers and restaurant-goers were disrupted, according to a piece on CBS 5 TV.

A water main break opened up a crater on South Main Street, causing street closures and sloshing traffic to a standstill in the heart of downtown Walnut Creek Tuesday.

Water undermined the pavement and opened a crater on South Main Street, in front of , across the street from Broadway Plaza, about five feet deep, and approximately nine feet long by three feet wide.

Two blocks of Main Street between Mount Diablo Boulevard and Botelho Drive, and one block of Olympic Boulevard between Locust and Main streets were closed, Walnut Creek police reported.

Some retailers in the area lost water and suffered some water damage, said Andrea Pook, East Bay Municipal Utility District spokeswoman.

East Bay Municipal Utility District crews were on scene at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday to respond to a problem with the water main under South Main Street.

A six-inch, cast iron water main broke and the hole grew progressively worse as EBMUD crews worked on it Tuesday.

The water main valve break was not caused by an EBMUD crew doing routine maintenance crew in the area around 8 a.m. Tuesday, said Pook. Later in the day, EBMUD risk management teams were responding to businesses to minimize the damage.

The Contra Costa Fire Prevention District was on the scene as well.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.