Broken water main shoots geyser 25 feet in air, damaging homes, vehicle

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A massive water main break sent water shooting about 25 feet into the air and onto nearby homes in north Charlotte late Monday night.

Channel 9 was first at the scene and captured the incredible images from the water pipe break on Ridge Road.

The geyser even ripped apart sod and pieces of concrete where the underground pipe burst. All of the water sprayed directly onto two condos across the street.

“I opened the blind and I see this water gushing out,” homeowner Theresa Gould said. “Large pieces of cement flying through the air. This isn’t just a water pipe -- this is an explosion.”

It took Charlotte Water nearly 90 minutes to turn the water off.

Pieces of concrete knocked out a car’s windows, and homeowner Jayla Joyner told Channel 9 that about 2 feet of water flooded her home.

“It’s a lot of water and we had no idea it was going on until we finally ran through all of it and made it outside,” Joyner said.

Joyner told Channel 9 that people in the neighborhood have complained to the city that there was water bubbling from the ground for the past two weeks.

“It's frustrating because it's something that could've been prevented,” Joyner said. “No one took any steps to make sure that happened.”

A nearby retention pond also flooded because of the water main break.

Crews worked all night to fix the 6-inch break, completing repairs around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Workers spent most of the day removing floor boards from the damaged homes.

The homeowners association president said the break could have been prevented.

Residents have also recently reported seeing water pouring out of Demaree Lane in Matthews and on Seneca Place in Charlotte.

A Channel 9 investigation last year uncovered that Charlotte stormwater crews are dealing with a massive backlog, causing work to be delayed for years.

[READ MORE: Thousands dealing with stormwater issues stuck on years-long waitlist]

In July, Channel 9 found more than 1,000 people were waiting to have their issues fixed, ranging from sinkholes to broken retainer walls. Residents can spend years on the waitlist for service, and continue to be bumped down the list, behind new, higher-priority cases.

City officials told Channel 9 that emergency breaks take top priority, which include those that lead to property damage, people without water or pose a hazard to the public.

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