South Boston Water Main Break: ‘It’s Pretty Much a Geyser Down Here’

Boston officials battled a large water main break at a construction site on A Street in Fort Point for over an hour on Wednesday, according to Boston Fire Department Spokesman Steve MacDonald.

MacDonald said fire crews were at the scene of the water main break shortly after receiving a call around 3 p.m. They were waiting for workers from the city’s water department to shut off a valve to the main in order to stop the flooding. “It’s pretty much a geyser down here,” he said.

The break was in the middle of A Street near Congress Street. MacDonald said A Street was shutdown as they tried to stop the flooding.

He said the “geyser” reached about five stories in the air—roughly 60 feet—because the main was under so much pressure. “It is shooting up a few stories,” he said. “It’s causing some puddles, but water is going into the catch basins, too.”

The city sent out an email to residents in the area informing them that the road where the break occurred would be closed off until they could fix the situation. “Although Congress Street remains open, drivers are strongly advised to avoid the area,” city officials said in the email.

People nearby the water main break snapped photos and videos showing just how high the water shot up in the air. The valve was turned off just before 5 p.m.

Here’s another video from Premier Property Solutions. The water plume happened right outside of their offices.