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1920s Era Pipe Blamed for Water Main Break at Dewey and Taraval

SFPUC crews say aging infrastructure was the cause of the water main break at Dewey and Taraval Wednesday morning.

How old are we talking? Pretty old. Turns out the pipe that burst was an 8-inch cast iron pipe that was originally installed in 1920. To put that date into perspective, that was 99 years ago, or when Woodrow Wilson was president.

Crews discovered the break in water main after digging through the concrete.

That pipe isn’t a one-off. There are more than 2,900 miles of water and sewer pipes under the City that serve San Francisco residents and some of them date back to the Gold Rush era.

A portion of the cast iron pipe from the water main break as crews began patching up the work site.

The good news is that, with support from SFPUC customers, San Francisco is investing in upgrading its water and sewer infrastructure.

The SFPUC is nearing completion of the $4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program (WSIP), one of the largest water infrastructure programs in the nation. The WSIP has strengthened the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System. Completion of several large regional water construction projects has created a seismically robust water lifeline for 2.7 million Bay Area residents. Ratepayer dollars have funded the SFPUC’s ability to provide high-quality, reliable drinking water.

Crews repairing the water main break and restoring water service to customers.