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Cleveland water main break causes flooding, road closures on city's east side

The water main break happened at Harvard Ave. and E. 131st Street. Water service to customers in the area has not been impacted.

CLEVELAND — A 30-inch water main break on Cleveland's east side led to flooding that closed several streets and also caused an intersection to buckle on Friday.

At 9:08 a.m., Cleveland Water announced that crews were working to close the water main break near East 136st Street and Harvard Avenue. Although water service to customers in the area has not been impacted, officials advised to avoid the area until repairs were made and street flooding was clear. 

Two hours later, Cleveland Water posted this update on X (formerly Twitter): "Crews have now successfully controlled the broken water main in the East 131st Street and Harvard Avenue area. Once water drains off the street, they will assess the extent of the damage. We are still asking the public to avoid the area at this time."

A Cleveland Water spokesperson told 3News' Isabel Lawrence that the assessment will include securing utilities under the street and making repairs. It may be several weeks before everything is fully restored. 

In addition, Cleveland Water says it is assessing a small leak in the area over the past few weeks. 

"Our goal over the next several days is to determine the exact cause of today's (Friday) incident," Cleveland Water told 3News. "Additionally, we always encourage residents who may notice basement flooding to first notify their insurance agency, followed by a claim to the City's Law Department.

At the site of the water main break, Lawrence observed that the roadway had buckled.

Mildred Swanson has lived in her home on Harvard Avenue since 1990, and said this is not the first time she's witnessed flooding issues in her neighborhood. 

"You couldn't even walk here, it was nothing but water and stuff here," she said of the overnight flooding. "It was bad out here." 

Swanson said she's alerted the city to the water problems on her street before, and hopes this time, they find a solution. 

"I'm glad they're doing something about it, they're out here, they're doing something about this stuff," she said of the Cleveland Water workers on her block Friday. 

3News reached out to Cleveland Water to ask about any possible previous water related issues going on in the area and are waiting to hear back. 

The Cleveland Division of Police says the following street areas are closed:

  • East 138th/Harvard
  • East 136th/Harvard
  • East 131st/Harvard
  • East 136th/Benwood
  • East 136th/Ferris

This is a developing story. Stay with 3News for more details as they become available.

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