SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A water leak was reported near the North Park Water Tower on Sunday morning, with crews working to stop the water and prevent further damage, according to the San Diego Police Department.
SDPD said it received a call about the leak at about 9:16 a.m. Officers got additional reinforcements as they were unable to shut off the water.
Police said the city ended up being the main agency to respond to the leak, and police later left the scene.
The City of San Diego said this in a statement:
"The issue causing the water leak in North Park was located inside the University Heights Reservoir, a separate structure located near the Water Tower. The Water Tower itself does not contain any water.
A gasket failed on equipment inside the University Heights Reservoir, causing the leak. City crews responded at approximately 10:30 AM. The issue required coordination with SDG&E to shut off power to the facility so that City staff could safely enter the facility to make repairs. The gasket was replaced, which stopped the leak shortly after 12:00 PM.
There were no water service impacts to customers as a result of this issue."
Neighbors noticed water streaming from the reservoir earlier Sunday, with pooling reported at the intersection of Idaho and Howard streets. City of San Diego workers and electricians responded to stop the leak.
Paul Hutchins, who lives across the street from the water tower, captured video of the leak and called the city's water emergency hotline after noticing water coming from the structure.
"So about 9:10 a.m. I noticed there was, like, a bunch of water coming out of that door and a couple other spots in that building, so I called the city water emergency hotline. And talked to dispatch and just explained, 'Hey, there's a lot of water,'" Hutchins said.
Not everyone in the neighborhood was immediately aware of the leak. Megan Barberie said she only discovered it while walking her dog.
"As soon as I got over here, I saw that there was water and I thought someone was washing their car or something," Barberie said.
Hutchins said he was unsure what caused the leak but emphasized the importance of conserving water.
"Water's a precious commodity, so you don't wanna see it wasted, but, um, you know, it's, I assume it was nothing intentional and it was just a, you know, a break in the water main or some kind of leak," Hutchins said.
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