Broken water line in east Houston disrupts city, forces boil order

Aabandoned vehicles sit stalled in floodwaters from a water main break that inundated the East Loop 610, closing the major freeway that circles the city on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020 in Houston. Aabandoned vehicles sit stalled in floodwaters from a water main break that inundated the East Loop 610, closing the major freeway that circles the city on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020 in Houston. Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer/Houston Chronicle Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer/Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 48 Caption Close Broken water line in east Houston disrupts city, forces boil order 1 / 48 Back to Gallery

It wasn’t a storm that brought parts of Houston to a halt Thursday, but a city-owned pipe that busted open, crippling water pressure for thousands.

The ensuing rush of water onto East Loop stranded about a dozen motorists, with some taking refuge on the roofs of their cars. Firefighters rescued three people and moved 12 vehicles away from the rising water.

The break also forced a boil order, closures of schools, medical and social services, and restaurants out of fear for public health. The immediate aftermath was a familiar sight but under blue skies.

“It was a little bit chaotic in the beginning but we always pull together,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said of the massive emergency response.

Photo: Ken Ellis/Staff Areas along the route that flooded.

By 8 p.m., water stopped flowing through the broken segment of the pipe and receded from the surrounding area, said Houston Public Works spokeswoman Erin Jones. Drinking water was re-routed to other pipes in the system, and pressure was expected to gradually increase through the night, she said. Repair work likely will start early Friday morning, Jones said.

Late Thursday, Harris County advised utility districts and county water providers to test their water “to ensure the safety of the water supply.”

The boil order was issued for most of Houston around 6:30 p.m., more than six hours after a hulking 96-inch pipe erupted near Clinton Drive and East Loop 610, when the “water pressure dropped below the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s required minimum of 20 PSI,” according to a city alert. Health officials warned the lack of pressure could increase the risk of bacteria. Jones said the boil order would remain active until further notice.

The pipe responsible for the boil order was installed 35 years ago. It broke open just before noon when a city contractor began digging to repair a “gradual leak” on the water line near Clinton Drive and East Loop 610, officials said, causing water to bubble onto the neighboring highway.

Jones said the pipe stems from the East Water Purification Plant, roughly three miles east of the break. The water line carried about 50 percent of the drinking water in Houston, officials said.

MAJOR CLOSINGS: Houston restaurants, schools closing after water main bursts in Houston

Mayer Sylvester Turner pointed to “aging infrastructure” as the primary catalyst for the chaos.

“This is an example of the need for infrastructure improvements, not just in this city but cities across the board,” he said during a press conference. “When you’ re dealing with an aging infrastructure, you’re going to have these main line breaks. And in some cases, they are major arteries and can cause major disruption.”

Shortly after the break, east and central Houston residents and businesses began complaining of dropping water pressure. For some, the lack of water meant that toilets could not flush.

As the problem festered, Houston ISD decided to close their schools Friday because of the “widespread water service disruption,” with water issues being reported as far west as Lamar High School in River Oaks. Officials at the University of Houston and Texas Southern University officials had already closed their campuses for Thursday.

Southbound lanes of the East Loop reopened late Thursday after Texas Department of Transportation workers cleaned debris. Northbound lanes were expected to open by the morning rush hour, TxDOT said via Twitter.

“To our knowledge, nothing in our system failed,” TxDOT spokeswoman Raquelle Lewis said. “It was just inundated.”

Houston Public Works officials identified the contractor involved with the broken pipe as Harper Brothers Construction. A woman who answered the phone for the Houston-based company put a reporter on hold for 10 minutes before disconnecting the line. Additional calls were rejected and the firm’s website was later inaccessible.

Hospitals impacted and closures reported

Lack of water was a growing problem at Houston’s medical hub.

Houston Methodist Hospital experienced “low water pressure,” while Texas Children’s Hospital officials reported having had extensive water issues at their Texas Medical Center facilities. Some pediatric facilities were closed.

“We do not have running water at all our locations. It was changing really rapidly,” children’s hospital spokeswoman Natalia Angulo-Hinkson said, later adding that water pressure was stable.

Memorial Hermann spokesman Drew Munhausen said some of their hospitals in the Texas Medical Center, including Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and TIRR Memorial Hermann, were “experiencing water issues” and others were fine. A Houston Chronicle reporter found toilets in a fourth floor bathroom at the Memorial Hermann Heart and Vascular Institute unflushed and a sink with little to no water pressure.

At one point, officials declared an “internal disaster” at some hospitals in the medical center, including Memorial Hermann, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center and Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, according to Dr. David Persse, Houston's local health authority and medical director of the city's EMS program.

That declaration is usually made when hospitals lose electricity or water in the building, he said. Other common causes include fires and bomb scares.

A sign in a first-floor bathroom at St. Luke’s warned that “patients should not be served water, ice, coffee or ingestible liquids that are not bottled.”

“Any activities that allow for the ingestion of tap water should be avoided and bottled water should be used instead,” the sign continued, citing the brushing of teeth as an example.

The Harris Health System announced that eight of their outpatient facilities would be closed on Friday.

The burst pipe also took an economic toll on dozens of Houston restaurants as many lost water pressure and were forced to close. Jason Cho, owner of the Museum District eatery Dak & Bop, said his Binz Street location was without water.

He was more concerned for his employees, who were unable to work and sent home.

“This could be one of a few shifts a week that they’re counting on to support their lives, their families,” Cho said. “This is just as impactful and devastating as Harvey, or any other natural disaster we’ve been through. It’s hard enough to be a successful restaurant when everything goes right.”

At Rosies Cannonball on Westheimer, a backup water supply kicked in, but supervisors erred on the side of caution and stopped serving lunch, employee Peru Flores said.

Beyond restaurants, the water pressure at the Harris County Jail was coming to a worrisome crawl and authorities were “exploring the use of portable toilets” for inmates.

“To conserve water pressure, we have suspended showering and laundry services,” officials said. “Meals will be served on disposable trays to reduce the need for dish washing.” Court dockets at the Harris County Civil, Criminal, Family and Juvenile District Courts were also canceled for Friday.

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‘I got scared’

America Vega lives in the Pleasantville neighborhood within feet of the water main break. As water crept closer to her front door, she could not leave to pick up her three young daughters from their elementary school in Galena Park.

Her sister picked them up and delivered them to the backyard, where Vega hoisted them over the fence while standing atop an overturned trash can.

Inside their home, water barely trickled out of their faucets. The deluge crimped her plans for the day.

“I have to cook and I have to wash dishes and all of that,” said Vega, a stay-at-home mom.

Another resident, Jose Guillen, was at work when his wife sent photos of water inching toward their home. She called 911 for a rescue, he said, but the water eventually stopped flowing.

“I got scared, “ he said. “Because the first thing that comes to your mind is your kids and your wife.”

nicole.hensley@chron.com

julian.gill@chron.com

Jay R. Jordan, Matt Dempsey, Sarah Smith, Dug Begley and Todd Ackerman contributed.

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