A couple of years ago, a spokesperson for the SF Public Utilities Commission, in response to a water main break in the neighborhood, noted that San Francisco averages 200 water main breaks per year.
It would seem Glen Park accounts for more than our fair share.
Recently on June 21, a water main break caused flooding on Lippard Avenue between Joost Avenue and Bosworth Street. The cause was a combination of the pipe’s age and material. The pipe was made of cast iron and was placed in 1929.
That same day there was a water main break on the 100 block of Laidley Street. This time the incident was related to the major water main replacement project begun in April of last year and scheduled to continue through the end of this year.
Chris Albanese, an antiques dealer and resident of Laidley and Harper Streets since 1993, heard a noise. He was parked in his van on Harper getting ready to go to an appointment. “I looked up and there was water everywhere, like a river. I could hear it running underneath the van. I immediately called the Water Department. I’m sure they knew the construction was going on here because they’d just put in all these new huge valves and a fire hydrant.”
All the valves were connected to the cast iron pipe which Albanese thought was 100 years old. “Even at that point, the water was already pushing up the sidewalk,” he said. The Water Department responded within 45 minutes; water was still gushing. They shot video and had city adjusters out to assess the damage.
Albanese was able to get into his garage and salvage most of the antiques, but hundreds of reference books and other items were lost. He’s most concerned about the foundation because he fears it’s saturated. There’s still moisture despite three very powerful fans and a very large humidifier operating nonstop within two hours of the incident. The stucco on the outside is still visibly wet. He takes a photo each morning to document the ongoing situation.
He believes the city is responsible for any foundation work, but he would have to call in engineers at his own expense to evaluate. All of that pressure went against his foundation, which is 130 years old. As far as getting rid of the moisture in the basement and cleaning everything out, “They sent a crew of five and they did a very good job. They were really on top of things,” said Albanese.
His immediate neighbors seem to have been spared. “They were lucky because it was right in front of my house. It pushed all that water with an amazing amount of pressure, lifted my sidewalk, which is no longer flush with the curb,” noted Albanese. But the water flowed down Harper to Randall Street causing extensive damage to at least one of the houses that are below street level on that block. Today there were several workers present and around a half-dozen ServiceMaster trucks.
Unfortunately, water main breaks are nothing new in Glen Park, and indeed the city in general, with a sewer system that’s a century old, give or take.
Apart from near-ancient water infrastructure, Glen Park has geographical features which make it prone to flooding from natural causes. See Rising Waters in and Around Glen Park is Nothing New: A look Back, by Evelyn Rose of the Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project.
The Glen Park News has reported repeatedly over the years about water main breaks in the neighborhood. Others have been reported by the local news. The following links are what we found.
A sewer-level view down Chenery Street (November 19, 2009)
Broken Main Mars Miguel St. (January 10, 2011)
San Francisco Water Main Break Impacts Muni’s J-Church Line (March 1, 2015)
“Breaking” News: Water Main on Miguel Street (May 17, 2017)
Water Main Break Floods Houses in San Francisco’s Glen Park Neighborhood (December 17, 2022)
Gas line break on Sussex Street causes residents to evacuate (July 24, 2023)
Sunday gusher at Chenery & Diamond repaired in less than 24 hours (August 21, 2023)
The water beneath our feet in Glen Park (October 29, 2023)
Part 2: The water beneath our feet in Glen Park (November 15, 2023)
Water main break on Lippard Street (Instagram, June 21, 2024)
Water main break at Sanchez and Randall Streets earlier this morning (Instagram, June 7, 2024)