On Monday evening a water main rupture flooded Parker Street near Regent in central Berkeley and caused part of the street to buckle. Water gushed down the 2500 block of Parker for nearly an hour before East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) was able to shut off the flow.
The Berkeley Fire Department received a call at 5:49 p.m. alerting it to the water main break, according to BFD Deputy Chief Avery Webb. Webb said an engine responded and firefighters found the water main break to be in the roadway in front of an apartment building at 2511 Parker St.
“East Bay Mud was notified and responded. Berkeley Police also responded and ended up shutting down Parker Street in both directions, between Hillegass Avenue and Regent Street,” Webb said. “The main break was severe enough to cause the street to bulge approximately 1 foot above its normal position.”
As the roadway became increasingly undermined by the escaping water, firefighters also decided to move a car parked adjacent to the main break beyond the bulging road surface, Webb said. They broke into the vehicle and pushed it out of the way, both to prevent the vehicle from becoming trapped and to clear the area so EBMUD could make the necessary repairs.
Webb said it took about 50 minutes from the initial report until EBMUD was able to shut down the flow of water. The water agency worked into the night on repairing the water main.
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