Fort Worth water main punctured, sending water blasting skyward

A punctured water line sent water spewing into the air Monday in Fort Worth, damaging five homes and taking down tree limbs, according to officials.
The 33-inch line supplies the majority of the city of Hurst’s water, prompting officials to ask residents to limit water use.
An unspecified telecommunications contractor hit the concrete and steel line around 10 a.m. while drilling on the north side of Trinity Boulevard, according to Mary Gugliuzza, spokesperson for Fort Worth Water.
This sent the water airborne, Gugliuzza said. As the water came down, it pummeled the roofs of homes on Trinity Vista Trail, damaging five houses. No injuries were reported, she said.
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“It’s a major transmission line, and the water was under a lot of pressure,” Gugliuzza said. “Water is powerful.”
One home was heavily damaged, Gugliuzza said, and the department is working to find temporary housing for the affected residents while their home is repaired. Shingles were ripped off the roof, and water came through the ceiling, according to Gugliuzza.
The water department’s crew was able to close all the valves by 1 p.m., Gugliuzza said.
She said about 20 homes were initially without water, but it was restored by Monday evening.
The line was repaired by 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, Gugliuzza said, and further work on the site will continue Wednesday.
Customers in the area may have had slightly lower water pressure until the line was back in service, Gugliuzza wrote in a statement Monday. Once repairs were made, she said, it took time for the line to reload with water.
To maintain enough pressure, the city of Hurst asked residents to refrain from outdoor watering or irrigation and to limit water use to essential needs until the line was repaired. By 3 p.m. Tuesday, the city said the line was back in full service and they were no longer asking residents to ration water.