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A ruptured water main in Alamo left about 50 customers without service and some facing property damage as water flowed heavily from the burst pipe Wednesday, according to an East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) spokeswoman.
The incident was first reported at 6:57 a.m. on Danville Boulevard near Hemme Avenue, a San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District dispatcher said.
The break occurred in a 10-inch cast-iron pipe that dated back to 1931, according to EBMUD spokeswoman Abby Figueroa.
There was “quite a big hole, which explains all the water that flooded the adjacent property. There was damage to the homes next door. The water mostly flowed into a nearby creek,” she added.
It took EBMUD officials about three hours from the first notification to turn off the water flow, Figueroa said. The valves had recently been paved over in conjunction with roadwork in the area, “so the crew had to do some detective work with maps and metal detectors to find the valves,” she said.
Once located, workers shut off the water, dug a five-foot trench, cut and removed the piece of corroded pipe and replaced it with new PVC pipe, Figueroa said.
The repair was completed and water restored to the affected people by about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, she added. The customers who were without water Wednesday were along Danville Boulevard between Hemme and Camille avenues.
A four-unit building on Danville Boulevard was flooded during the break. Figueroa said she did not know the extent of the damage, but that EBMUD officials would work with homeowners to assess the damage, help with the initial cleanup of items such as mud on driveways and then work with the property owners to make sure the rest is covered.
California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Ron Simmons said the roadway was buckling near where the pipe burst, and CHP officers were on scene to help with traffic control during the incident.
Figueroa said pipe breaks of this nature “are common” in the EBMUD service area.
“Most of our 800-1,000 main breaks per year are cast-iron mains from this time period,” she added. “Usually it’s a combination of age, corrosion and ground movement that leads to a break like this.”
Editor’s note: Information from the Bay City News Service was used in this report.
Editor’s note: Information from the Bay City News Service was used in this report.
Editor’s note: Information from the Bay City News Service was used in this report.
Appeal over redevelopment project at old Chevron HQ coming to San Ramon councilApril 6, 2026 10:32 pm
So everyone is aware that all infrastructures are in serious need of replacement and those in charge need to begin serious replacement programs.
For example all bridges in the nation have been declared to be falling apart. A brand new bridge was just completed a few years ago as part of the new Bay Bridge and it is already have major material problems.
This is actual due to faulty steel purchased from China added to some faulty installation.
This is SOOOO frustrating.It’s the fourth such break in the area in a week! What exactly are we paying such exorbitant rates for??? The last increase,one of many for MAINTENANCE,was,what, 23%……Can we recall the EBMUD board??
“Starve the beast,” they said, and they’re continuing to say it. Well, when you do so you end up with a rotting carcass, and eventually it starts to leak … Smells like the Third World.
Our street has had so many breaks that the patches make the street look like a quilt; this is not a very old development, early 80’s vintage.
I wonder how many thousands of gallons of precious water were lost in this incident.