Burst water main keeps emergency services busy

Burst water main keeps emergency services busy

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Emergency services were inundated with requests for help after a water main burst on Railway Avenue.

Railway Avenue “turned into a river” when a water main burst last week between Armadale Road and Lowanna Way.

Many houses were inundated with water, with multiple homes completely flooded.

SES volunteer Ron Stroet said emergency services responded to multiple callouts from a large section of the neighbourhood that quickly found itself underwater.

“Up to 15 Armadale SES volunteers were kept very busy assisting numerous home owners trying to stop the large amount of water running into their homes,” he said.

“More than three homes were totally flooded with water getting into every room, not only destroying the floor covering but also the furniture and anything lying around.”

Mr Stroet said two homes on Chamberlain Way were also flooded with the water level reaching over the bonnet of a car in on of the home’s driveways.

“Armadale SES volunteers were kept busy well after 9.30 that night,” he said.

“The water board tried desperately to stem the flow of water, the water main was still gushing hundreds of litres of water after the SES left.

“Armadale SES crews got another call the following morning with another water pipe bursting and another house getting flooded.”

Water Corporation regional manager Gary Monaghan said the burst main was an unfortunate but rare occurrence.

“The break was on a distribution main and was located within the railway reserve,” he said.

“Distribution mains are larger pipes that transfer bulk amounts of water from various sources to reservoirs, where water then enters the supply scheme.

“Given the size of the water main, crews carried out complex system changes to isolate the broken section and stop the flow of water.

“At this stage the cause of the break is unknown and a condition assessment of the entire section of main will now be undertaken.

“This will not affect the supply of water to local homes and businesses.”

Mr Monaghan said the Water Corporation was aware of the homes, which had been flooded.

“We immediately visited these homes and will continue to work with residents until their homes are fully restored,” he said.

“Breaks occur in every water supply scheme and are influenced by a number of factors, including the material and location of the mains, age, maintenance and local conditions including soil types and external factors such as nearby construction and tree roots,” he said.

“I apologise to local residents and road users who were impacted and thank them for their patience and understanding.”