TRAFFIC ALERT: Two Water Main Breaks On N. Mesa

EL PASO, TX — Two massive water main breaks on the west side are dropping water pressure to area residents and causing repair crews to block traffic on a main thoroughfare.

The first break was reported at 2:00 A.M. in the 7300 block of Mesa, just west of Belvidere. An El Paso Water Utilities official tells ABC-7 the 16″ line busted, sending water rushing down Mesa. The line is located near the sidewalk in front of the Desert Hills Car Wash. The water was streaming down the parking area of the car wash into the business.

“We went ahead and called for sandbags, as many sandbags as possible,” El Paso Fire Department Lt. Edward Kleinhans told ABC-7. “We tried to keep water from entering the business.”

While the break in that line has been isolated, an EPWU official tells ABC-7 it will take a while to repair it since crews must wait for other companies to mark their nearby lines so crews won’t hit them during the repair process.

On North Mesa, two eastbound lanes between Remcon and Belvidere are closed while crews repair that water main.

The second water main break occurred four hours later, around 6:00,in front of Coronado High School. An EPWU official tells ABC-7 the break is in the median, and it may be an even bigger water main.

Be prepared to take detours around both those areas during the morning commute.

Written for kvia.com by Anchor/Reporter Stephanie Valle