Wet, Wild Morning for Martinez Residents After Water Main Break

By Bay City News Service

A 14-inch water main ruptured in Martinez early Thursday morning, sending water gushing down streets in a neighborhood near downtown, a city engineer said.

The main break broke near Jones and Berrellesa streets around 5 a.m. Crews arrived at 6 a.m. and were able to shut off the flow of water to the line, city engineer Tim Tucker said.

The line is connected to the Thomas Hill Reservoir, which is uphill from Jones Street, Tucker said.

The break and the ensuing rush of water underground caused the asphalt on Jones Street to lift up, he said. No homes were flooded but mud ended up on a few front lawns.

Residents are still able to get in and out of their driveways with ease to go to work, he said.

Water service was disrupted between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. for residents in an area bordered by Henrietta Street to the north, Castro Street to the east, Haven Street to the south and Richardson Street to the west, Tucker said.

However, crews were able to isolate the ruptured line and restore service through parallel lines, he said.

All residents but one now have their water service back, Tucker said.

Crews are at the scene doing excavation work to expose the water line, Tucker said.

The Central Contra Costa Sanitary District examined sewer infrastructure located down Jones Street to assess whether it was affected by the water main break, but it wasn't, Tucker said.

Crews will seal up the street overnight, and a contractor will be hired to repave it in the next few days, he said.

Police have closed the 300 block of Jones Street and have diverted traffic to neighboring streets, a dispatcher said.

The city has crews on scene investigating the cause of the break, and hope to have the line repaired by 5 p.m., Tucker said.