Crews from DC Water have repaired a water main break in Northwest that caused water to pour into an excavation site early Saturday morning.
The break in the 20-inch main happened shortly after 4 a.m. at 17th Street between Rhode Island and Pennsylvania Avenues NW. News4's Derrick Ward reported that at least six pieces of heavy equipment were submerged as water filled the excavation site, which was estimated to be between 40 and 50 feet deep. A DC Water spokesman said that some water also made its way into the basement of the nearby Mayflower Hotel.
The Mayflower was one of several buildings that went without water Saturday night into Sunday morning, as crews worked on repairing the broken main and some broken valves. The water had been pumped out of the excavation site by Saturday evening.
Water service was restored early Sunday morning. Parts of M and 17th Streets NW were closed to accomodate repair work, but those areas have since reopened.
DC Water General Manager George Hawkins told Ward that the main was built in 1897. It was not clear whether the break had anything to do with the construction activity.
