STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — Water mains are breaking all over the Greater Cleveland area this week, causing big headaches for both residents and city water departments.
“I saw the mess in the street and I said here we go again, another water main break,” said Laurice Buck, a resident of Drake Road in Strongsville on Wednesday.
A water main had broken on Drake Road near Howe Road and she was quite frustrated that her water had stopped running.
“How do you cook? How do you clean? How do you go to the bathroom? How do you wash anything, even your hands. It’s an impact,” she said.
Cleveland Water officials confirmed to 3News on Thursday morning that the water main was repaired, water was turned back on and the street was backfilled.
This was the the third time in about a year 3News has reported on a water main break on Drake.
We also covered main breaks there in January and August of 2023.
When we asked Cleveland Water about the recurring problem on Thursday, they sent us a statement.
"Cleveland Water is assessing Wednesday’s break on Drake Road as well as previous breaks in the area. Once we gather additional information, we’ll work directly with our municipal partners on those findings. Water main breaks are, unfortunately, an inevitable part of water service. Cleveland Water works hard to address them as quickly as possible with the least amount of disruption to our customers." - Latoya Hunter Hayes, spokesperson, Cleveland Department of Public Utilities
Cleveland Water crews were busy at another site Thursday morning, addressing a 12 inch water main break at West 130th and Bellaire Road in Cleveland.
There was also a water main break in Lakewood on Thursday, on McKinley Ave. less than a mile north of I-90.
“I heard a very loud drilling sound," said Allen Klosterman, who was awakened by water crews fixing a main break outside his McKinley Avenue home near I-90.
“When my wife woke up, I had to notify her that they were working and there was a low pressure in the water because she was going to take a shower," he added.
The Lakewood Police Department told us they were alerted about the break around 3:15 a.m.
The City of Lakewood Water Division ended up shutting down McKinley between Hilliard Road and North Marginal Drive while they made repairs on a six-inch break.
3News asked Chris Gordon, public works director for the City of Lakewood, if the shutdown caused any inconveniences for those living and driving in the area.
"Yeah, I would say so. Unfortunately yes," he said. "We try to be as proactive as possible with setting up a good maintenance traffic plan and keep people flowing as best we can. It was most likely caused with the changing of temperatures. We were notified of the break around 4 a.m. Crews were on scene soon after. I'm happy to report that as of 12 noon today, the repair has been made and the road has been reopened."
We also asked the City of Lakewood if they will pay for damage caused to homes by water main breaks.
They told us, "a resident can contact the City of Lakewood law department to file a claim with the city's insurance carrier for a determination of legal liability."
Meanwhile in Rocky River, there is a water main break on Thursday evening on Wagar Road near Westway Drive. Residents at Mayfair Village Condominiums have been told their water will be shut off for three to four hours.
