SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A water main break at El Cajon Boulevard and 54th Street in the El Cerrito neighborhood has left at least four businesses and one apartment complex without water since late Wednesday night, and city crews are working to restore service by Thursday evening.
The break was reported to the city after 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. Flooding from the break sent water rushing down El Cajon Boulevard, impacting the northwest corner of the intersection.
Jose Ysea, a spokesman for the City of San Diego, said the cause of the break is still under investigation.
"This is a 16-inch polyurethane water main, so it's one of the newer ones in the system," Ysea said.
Residents at the Marcellena Villas Apartment Complex noticed around 3 a.m. that their water had been shut off.
Jose Garrada, a resident at the complex, was seen wheeling in jugs of water on Thursday. He said the outage has created challenges for his family.
"I have three kids," Garrada said. "My wife is working, and I'm working, but maybe the kids will come with me, or we'll go to the park because we don't have water for the restrooms and for cooking," Garrada said.
Burritos Santana also had its water shut off. An employee said workers were unable to open for business.
"Our boss sent us to see if we could start working, but no, we had to go back home," the employee said.
The flooding also spilled into Wesley Church of San Diego, a Vietnamese church at El Cajon Boulevard and 54th Street.
Brian Nguyen of Wesley Church of San Diego said the financial impact is uncertain, and parts of the building were still under renovation.
"It's hard, I mean, the money, how we do it, we don't know yet, but we're looking for a claim for insurance or with the city," Nguyen said.
The city has set up a water wagon at El Cajon Boulevard and Marcellena Road for anyone without service.
Officials say anyone whose property was damaged can file a claim through the city's Risk Management Department.
A spokesperson for the City said they've had approximately 30 water main breaks since last year, which is about one main break per every 100 miles. The spokesperson said this number is still significantly below the industry standard of 15 per 100 miles and the industry average of 11.
