On Saturday, a portion of 14th Street NW between F and G Streets collapsed due to a water main break, closing the road to traffic for a short portion of time. DDOT said that they'd need to make more permanent repairs over the next few days -- and one look at the size of the hole explains why those more extensive repairs are necessary. more ›

Check out this amazing piece of video which really documents the enormity of the 54-inch water main break which shut down a large section of the Capital Beltway this morning. Not only did the rushing water cause serious damage and grind traffic to a halt for hours this morning, but the break has forced Andrews Air Force Base into "reduced operations," and led to the closure of several area schools and the offices of the U.S. Census Bureau in Suitland. more ›

TBD reports that there was an 8 inch water main break in the 2400 block of Ontario Road NW. DC Water estimates the repair will take 6 to 8 hours. Ontario, along with Euclid Street and Kalorama Road (though it doesn't say which blocks of Euclid and Kalorama) are also closed to traffic. However, this writer was just in the area to shop at Harris Teeter and I didn't notice any problems, on Kalorama or Euclid. The 1600 blocks of Euclid and Kalorama are both open. more ›

On again, and off again. Reports have been conflicting over the status of water restriction in the City of Rockville after a 24-inch main break. Since Wednesday, a limit has been placed on lawn watering, toilet flushing and car washing -- basically every domestic weekend activity. A second break was found on Friday, delaying the alleviation of restrictions until today. more ›

Rise and shine, Washington! It's been nearly five years since I've done a Morning Roundup, the anchor DCist news post I first crafted back in October 2004 as a way to get through a lot of news in a hurry so I could get to work on time. My name is Michael Grass and I co-founded this blog with Rob Goodspeed, where we built the core team that developed the DCist community of contributors and readers. Now I'm back today and tomorrow to guest edit in Sommer's absence. I've been also been subbing as Loose Lips Daily in recent days for the City Paper. I've been everywhere lately! more ›

A water main break Tuesday evening at in the 1700 block of Columbia Rd. NW flooded the basement of Mixtec restaurant in Adams Morgan, forcing the owners to close their doors last night, as the Post reports. However a call to Mixtec this morning confirms they intend to reopen today, just as soon as the gas and water companies arrive to restore their service and give them the all-clear. Manager Pepe Montesinos said he was aiming to be back open by about noon, but it'd be a good idea to call (202) 332-1011 to make sure everything is a go before you head over. more ›

The District Department of Transportation says two streets continue to be closed due to the earlier water main break this morning at 17th and P streets NW: 17th Street is closed between Q and P, and P Street is closed between 16th and 18th. more ›

UPDATE: A reader sends in this photo showing the main break, which does indeed look massive. The tipster adds that water was "a foot deep, and fast in many places." more ›

The District Department of Transportation reports that as of about 11:45 a.m., a water main break has forced 16th Street NW to close in both directions between V Street and Euclid Street. The main break occurred in the 2400 block of 16th Street NW. more ›

A few D.C. public schools may have been down to the wire when it came to completing renovations and repairs for the first day of school today, but parents at Garfield Elementary School can hardly blame DCPS for a water main break that shut the school down this morning. Repair work began at around 10 a.m. on a 12" water main that broke at 22nd Street and Southern Ave. SE this morning, but in the meantime, the Garfield campus has been left without running water. WJLA is reporting that Garfield students are being moved to Winston and Stanton Elementary Schools until the water comes back on. Talk about a hectic first day for these kids. more ›

Police and fire officials blocked off both Florida Ave NW and Belmont Street NW between 13th and 14th Streets to clean up flooding caused by multiple water main breaks near the area. more ›

The word on high from DDOT after Wednesday's massive water main break in the 1700 block of Florida Ave. is that the street won't reopen until Saturday evening, weather permitting. DDOT engineers spent today assessing the damage and came up with this time estimate. Work crews have already backfilled the large hole in the roadway, and are now preparing for the complete reconstruction of the road surface from V Street to Champlain Street. The work will also include the repair or replacement of damaged curbs and brick gutters, and sidewalk repairs as necessary. more ›

DDOT has sent around word that Florida Ave. NW between 17th Street and California remains closed due to this morning's massive water main break. The 1700 block of V Street NW is also closed at this time. From the release:

WASA crews are on site and are working to repair the broken 20-inch water main. There is significant damage to the roadway as well, and it is likely to take at least several hours to complete the repairs. In the meantime, motorists are advised to use alternate routes including U Street, to detour around the affected area.

Separate from the massive main break/sinkhole/gas leak/basement flooding in the 1700 block of Florida Ave. NW, crews are working to repair two other water main breaks in the District this morning. more ›

City officials are responding to a large water main break in the 1700 Block of Florida Ave., along with an accompanying gas leak and sinkhole. WTOP quotes a D.C. fire department spokesperson saying the break has led to basement flooding in homes around the vicinity of 18th and U Streets NW. more ›

Amtrak and MARC Penn Line service has been suspended between Baltimore and D.C. since 7:45 a.m., thanks to a major water main break affecting tracks between the BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and Baltimore Penn stations. Amtrak reports that tracks in the area are covered with mud, trees and other debris. Service restoration is not expected until at least noon today, and could be hours later. There's literally no alternative rail service between the two cities, so if you had plans to travel north from D.C. via train this morning, you ought to look into a bus. You can call 800-USA-RAIL for train status updates later in the day. more ›

WASA has crews out working to repair a broken, 8" water main at 3rd and Allison Streets NW, near Rock Creek Cemetery. Water has been shut off in the immediate area since at least 7:30 a.m., leaving roughly 30 homes without water. WASA estimates repairs will take 6 to 8 hours. more ›

On top of the smoking manholes and subsequent road closures, Adams Morgan is now facing a water main break at 17th and Euclid Streets NW. WASA has reported that 100 customers are affected by the outage in the area. No word on whether the underground fire that caused the smoke had any effect on the water main. more ›

A water main break near 16th Street and Park Road NW this morning has left some customers in the area without water. Workers responding to the scene also report that water spilling out onto the street has caused icy conditions around the break, thanks to freezing temperatures. A salt truck has been requested. Work crews estimate the break will be repaired by 5 p.m. more ›

Via AlertDC, there is a broken 12 inch water main on 7th Street NW between D Street and Indiana Avenue NW. WASA crews are already on the scene working to repair it -- if you go by there, please let us know what it looks like -- email tips(at)dcist from your smartphone. more ›

View Larger Map more ›

The AlertDC system, responding about four hours late to the game, is reporting that the water main break at 16th and L Streets NW that throttled downtown traffic this morning is not estimated to be repaired until 6 p.m. at the earliest. That means you should plan on your trek home possibly being as infuriating as the trip to the office was this a.m. DDOT is still advising motorists to avoid 16th and 17th Streets downtown. more ›

We've been getting a steady stream of emails from frustrated readers who arrived at their offices late this morning due to 16th Street NW being closed, at first below M Street, and now we're told as far north as up to R Street. The mess is due to a water main break at 16th and L Streets (part of L is also closed) that's also causing low water pressure for a couple of office buildings at the intersection. We'll update when we have more, but in the meantime, we're hearing it'd be best to avoid 16th, 17th and K and L Streets in the area. more ›

While we were resting our hangovers yesterday, we missed word via the Examiner that River Road was at last reopened, a full eight days after a massive water main break caused flooding, substantial damage and led to the rescue of 15 people by boat and helicopter. The delay in reopening the road occurred after engineers discovered three cracked pipes that needed to be replaced in addition to the one that caused the flooding. The road is now open to vehicles, but crews are still working in the area and traffic will continue to be delayed for some time while final repairs are made. more ›

Montgomery County Schools have announced that they are closing 2 and 1/2 hours early today due to the very large Bethesda water main break that damaged River Rd. and forced the rescue of 15 people from about a dozen stranded vehicles. The Post reports that school officials closed the campuses because the main break "has caused widespread water outages in schools across the lower part of the county," affecting the availability of water and heat in numerous schools. Students are being bussed home. more ›

Leave it to the D.C. metro area to turn something as normally humdrum as a winter water main break into a dramatic rescue operation. Tune in to News Channel 8/WJLA for the best views of the large water main break near River Road that's forced Montgomery County authorities to send in helicopters and, yes we're not kidding, boats to rescue stranded motorists caught in roughly 4 feet of rushing water due to the broken main. At least twelve people have reportedly already been rescued. more ›

WASA is reporting three separate water main breaks this morning. Two of the breaks are in Glover Park, the first being an 8-inch water main on Observatory Place NW between Manor Place and Benton Street, the second being a 16-inch main just down the block from the other one, on the 3700 block of Manor Place NW. Approximately 65 homes were affected in this area while crews work to make repairs. The third break is at 16th and S Streets NW, causing northbound lanes on 16th Street from R to S to be closed while repairs are made. Southbound 16th Street lanes remain open. more ›

Despite what Alert DC told us all this morning, WASA says the power outage in Columbia Heights was not caused by a water main break. We weren't the only ones who reported a main break at 13th and Florida this morning, but it also wouldn't be the first time Alert DC oversimplified something that was more nuanced. more ›

Alert DC is reporting a power outage at 13th and Harvard Streets NW due to a water main break at 13th and Florida Avenue NW. The water main has apparently flooded electric feeders at the site. Pepco's outage map indicates fewer than 250 customers are affected. The Post says that 13th street is closed between Belmont and Florida. more ›

A water main break is disrupting traffic on 16th Street NW between Florida Ave. and Euclid Street. D.C. Water and Sewer Authority workers are on the scene working on the break. more ›