Doral Businesses Left High, Dry After Water Main Break
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DORAL (CBSMiami) - Workers continue to make repairs to a ruptured water main in western Doral.
The break occurred on NW 41st Street near the Turnpike. It happened Monday when a contractor hit the unmarked water main.
Workers digging around the 24-inch pipe to make repairs found multiple locations of damage and punctures.
The break is having a major impact on traffic in the area.
Northbound drivers on the Turnpike are not be allowed to exit at NW 41st Street which remains closed from the toll road to NW 112th Avenue. Southbound drivers will be allowed to exit at NW 41st Street but will only be allowed to go west.
"I was coming from the Turnpike to get onto 41st Street and it wasn't possible yesterday and it took me like an hour to get to my home," said Eylin Ezarri who lives in the area.
The county's Water and Sewer Department (WASD) some businesses in the area are without water service.
The affected area, about 30 blocks long, is as follows: the north side of Northwest 34th Street to the south side of Northwest 41st Street between the west side of Northwest 107th Avenue to the east side of Northwest 136th Place.
Also, the north side of Northwest 41st Street to the south side of Northwest 42nd Street between the west side of Northwest 107th Avenue to the east side of Northwest 109th Avenue.
Tuesday afternoon, Miami Dade College announced its West Campus evening classes would be moved to Kendall Campus.
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz told CBS4 News the water should be restored by early Tuesday evening, but it's expected a boil water order would be in place for at least 48 hours.
A boil water order cannot be officially issued until water service is restored.
At midday, Jennifer Messemer-Skold of Miami-Dade Public Works had said crews had to make sure they've located all the possible breaches to the water main.
"We are currently still in excavation mode, because he want to make sure that the entire length of this pipe that could've been impacted by this contractor has been evaluated and assessed for any potential damage," the Public Works spokesperson said.
At a Colombian restaurant fans gathered outside worried they would not be able to see the big game between Columbia and England.
"I just found out [about the water crisis]," said soccer fan Karen Ossa.
Ossa said she wouldn't miss the game for anything and would go someplace else if she had to.
The restaurant was among scores of businesses with no running water or restrooms.
At a nearby Burger King, you couldn't have it your way, or any way. It was closed.
Traffic disruptions kept customers away from various businesses in droves. Manager Alejandro Bustis sat alone in the sprawling RB Cycles bicycle shop.
"It's a big income that we used to get daily, that we are not doing today. Look around you. It's really sad. I'm hoping they can fix this as soon as possible," Bustis said.
Later in the day, the game was on at the Colombian restaurant. No running water, no working bathrooms but lots of beers and cheers.
Two portable toilets had been brought in and set up in the parking lot.
The county said some residents who didn't lose water service or live within the affected boundaries, may experience temporary cloudy or discolored water.
This is normal due to WASD checking valves to identify the damaged pipe on Monday afternoon as well as rerouting water service to minimize the number of affected residents losing water service.
The county suggests letting the water run for a few minutes to clear the sediment.
