SAN DIEGO -- City crews Wednesday finished repairing a 30-inch water main that ruptured under a Mountain View-area intersection, drenching the neighborhood and leaving 20 homes without working plumbing overnight.

A failed valve on the 54-year-old cast-iron pipeline unleashed a gushing, muddy torrent at Durant and South 35th streets shortly before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. The deluge flooded a nearby home and caused outdoor property damage at several other residences, according to the San Diego Water Department.

It took crews just under three hours to halt the overflow, SDWD spokesman Arian Collins said. By the time the inundation ended, roughly 2.4 million gallons of water had cascaded down the roadways, through yards and into storm drains.

The city sent in a mobile "water wagon" to serve area residents, and repair personnel worked through the night to replace the valve and a section of the main. Service to the affected homes was restored shortly after noon, Collins said.

Crews then began filling in the roughly 20-foot-wide sinkhole the pipe failure left in the road crossing. A temporary asphalt patch was expected to be in place and the streets reopened to through traffic by sometime Wednesday evening.

City streets workers plan to make permanent repairs to the intersection over the weekend, according to Collins.