RICHARDSON, Texas – Watering restrictions in six suburbs northeast of Dallas have been lifted after a burst water line was put back in service Monday night.
The repairs of the water main break were completed about 24 hours earlier than first estimated.
A broken water pipeline in Richardson had caused a “critical” water shortage after bursting Thursday afternoon. Water rushed through the Richardson neighborhood where the water line burst, flooding several nearby homes.
The City of Richardson had estimated a 72-hour repair, and thus prohibited outdoor watering through 6 p.m. Tuesday. That restriction was no longer needed with the restored service Monday, which was announced around 7:30 p.m.
Residents in surrounding cities of Plano, Garland, Murphy, Sachse, and Wylie were asked to “curtail” outdoor watering during over the weekend.
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Water quality was not affected, according to the NTMWD, and "essential" water needs were never thought to be in jeopardy.
The water main break occurred Thursday afternoon in the 4500 block of Crystal Mountain Drive in Richardson. The damage was done to a six-foot-wide pipeline that serves Richardson and surrounding cities the NTMWD said.
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The water district told WFAA that 10 to 15 Richardson homes were damaged.
Homeowners Sylvester Lee and Ken Hutchenrider got the brunt of everything. Each had up to three feet of water in their homes and backyards.
Lee and his wife were eating inside their house when the pipe broke and had to be pulled out by firemen.
"It's a little scary when you think about it, but we're fortunate we made it out," Lee said. When asked, Lee said he and his family have lived in their home for nearly 20 years. "It's a bit of a shock."
Melinda Hutchenrider, Ken's wife, had to be rescued too. She opened her garage door and was knocked back by a wall of water.
"It took all of me to get the door closed again, and the water just started bubbling up everywhere," Hutchenrider said. "I've never seen that much water--it was like a dam broke."
The Hutchenriders have lived in their home for nearly 10 years and told News 8 it's worth around half-a-million dollars.
Both families have furniture, carpet, baseboards, and other valuables ruined due to the flooding.
Some of their cars have water damage too.
According to both families, initial discussions with their insurance carriers revealed they may not be covered in an incident like this.
A letter was left at Lee's home by the NTMWD saying to contact its third-party insurance carrier about damages.
"It's very scary to know that we've worked all these years to have a home, and it could be gone," Hutchenrider said.