BPT >> (Broken Pipe Topic) Broken pipe floods two blocks of Harbour Way (CA from Feb. 11)

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Broken pipe floods two blocks of Harbour Way

EBMUD has trouble turning off the Richmond flow because of old valves By Demian Bulwa

RICHMOND -- Was that the Iron Triangle neighborhood or the canals of Venice?

Lakeia Yancy and Kamini McFalls wore plastic garbage bags on their legs Thursday night as they negotiated a small reservoir in front of their apartment -- the result of a busted pipe that flooded two blocks of Harbour Way.

Water swept into eight businesses and prompted firefighters to fortify houses with sandbags. Asphalt cracked and the street bowed at Harbour and Bissell Avenue, where the 16-inch main burst at 5 p.m.

"This is drama," said Yancy, 18. "They need to fix these streets, for real. How's my mother supposed to come home?"

For two hours, rivers of water reached Ohio Avenue, and rivulets could be seen trickling four blocks down on Cutting Boulevard. Merchants and residents gathered in the streets, which were shut down all night, to assess the damage.

Donnie Moore, co-owner of Moore's video store on Harbour, said his carpet was soaked. Anyone looking to rent "The River Wild" or "Waterboy" was out of luck.

"I went to buy some candy and popcorn, and when I came back around the corner I said, 'Whoa!'" Moore said. "Somebody's going to take care of this."

Three fire engines reported to the flood, including one from El Cerrito, said Richmond Fire Capt. Rick Abercrombie. He said the pipe's valves were old, making it difficult to shut off the flow, which continued at 7 p.m. East Bay Municipal Utility District crews planned to be out all night fixing the pipe and repairing the road, Abercrombie said.

McFalls and Yancy were just trying to figure out the best way to get back to their apartment.

"The firefighters told us to take our shoes off to walk through this nasty stuff," said McFalls, 19, of the calf-deep water outside her apartment. "Are you kidding me?"

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-- Dee (T1Colt556@aol.com), February 13, 2000


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