(The following article by Wendy Giroux appeared on the King County Journal’s website on June 18.)
RENTON, Wash. — A 12-inch water main shattered Tuesday afternoon, flooding nearby train tracks and blowing a large hole in the ground.
The water line runs near the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks and a significant amount of water washed over the track bed but did not disrupt train service, Burlington Northern spokesman Gus Melonas said.
Firefighters and other workers responded to the break, which affected the 500-800 blocks of Houser Way North, at about 1:20 p.m., and had it controlled within a couple hours, Renton Fire Capt. Bob Deines said.
The break also disrupted the flow of water to some offices at PACCAR, said John Thompson, Renton’s public works maintenance division manager. The Kenworth plant was not affected.
Residential and business customers in the area that did not lose water may also notice a slight change in water quality because the main emptied out so quickly that sediments were likely stirred up, Thompson said.
City workers excavated the hole around the pipe to repair it, and expected to be finished by Tuesday evening. They are still trying to determine the cause of the break.