Heavy rain washes away road, causes water main break and gas leak

by Sarah Rice (srice@wsbt.com)

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Crews had to repair a water main and gas main break at Boland Drive in South Bend (WSBT Photo)

Crews had to repair a water main and gas main break at Boland Drive in South Bend (WSBT Photo)

By WSBT News1

Story Created: Sep 14, 2008 at 8:01 PM EST

Story Updated: Sep 15, 2008 at 8:27 AM EST

SOUTH BEND — A boil water advisory is in effect for the northwest part of South Bend after a water main break Sunday.

Heavy rain took out a large section of Boland Drive between Portage and Riverside. It washed away parts of a gas line and a water main.

Residents who live in the area bordered by Bendix to the west, Lathrop to the south, Riverside to the east, and Auten Road are affected. The boil water advisory is in effect until Wednesday.

It all made for a hectic day for workers and neighbors. It's what engineers call a 100-year storm.

"It's really something," said neighbor Dave Balogh.

But the heavy rain was too much for some areas to handle. Within minutes the water washed away a section of Boland Drive.

"There's about 200-foot of pavement that's missing," explained Public Works Director Gary Gilot.

It took parts of a water main and a gas line with it, leaving a gas leak.

"Then police knocked on the door and asked me to get out as quickly as possible," neighbor Gail Mandell told WSBT News.

Mandell was one of a handful of neighbors caught off guard. She was asked to evacuate as a precautionary measure.

"I've heard it said that in cases of emergency your ordinary rational brain just vacates. And I think my did," said Mandell.

But hundreds of others dealt with another problem. As the water main washed away, officials say it caused a drop in water pressure.

"My son had to use the restroom and there was no water. So, at that point we started calling around the neighborhood and realized a lot of people didn't have anything," said neighbor Donna Fecher.

The heavy rain really blasted Pinhook Park. What's known as "the lagoon" now looks more like a lake. There's even heavy debris floating from the washout.

It was a site that some people had to see to believe.

"I've never seen this much water in Pinhook. I mean I've lived here all my whole life. It's unbelievable," said Balogh.

"We were kind of worried and I mean we had so much rain. And you never know what that's going to mean," said Fecher.

Boland Drive between Portage and Riverside will be blocked off for the next several days.

Police say it's safe for neighbors to return to their homes. City officials hope to prevent another washout by installing larger drainage pipes.

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