Crews repairing water main break that flooded streets in South Boston

BOSTON (WHDH) - Streets in South Boston turned into what looked like a small pond after a water main broke Wednesday evening.

Water could be seen rushing down the roadway near the intersection of Dorchester and East 8th streets around 6:30 p.m.

“Has a significant amount of water — 12 to 14 inches of water,” District Fire Chief Jerry Hogan said.

The water main break became problematic for nearby businesses and homes, with one family saying their water turned brown.

“First kid was taking a bath; wife didn’t notice anything. Second kid a minute later, within 30 seconds of the kid being in the bathroom, I’m just noticing that the water is brown, as brown as it can be,” said Alex Gilman, who lives nearby,“ and I yelled to my wife, ‘Did you notice anything that was going on initially?’ She’s like, ‘Not a thing.’ Pouring the water over my kids had quickly realized it’s as brown as it gets.”

Crews worked quickly to get the water turned off.

Hogan says the drains in the area worked well but at least one business was damaged.

“Infrastructure and some of the water mains is old and they just break,” he said. “Construction truck is going to have to come rip up the street and then repair the main.”

Crews could be seen working on the water main into Thursday morning.

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