Water main ruptures in Spokane Valley leaving multiple residents without water for several hours

A water main ruptured early Sunday morning in Spokane Valley, leaving multiple residents without water for several hours.

Shawn Pichette, a spokesman for Spokane Valley Fire Department, said residents were without water for several hours after the pipe burst around 7 a.m., sending rock and sediment down the northbound lanes of South Pines Road near East 26th Avenue.

He said Vera Water and Power crews quickly shut off the water and were out all day working to fix the broken PVC pipe while traffic was diverted. He said crews expected to have the pipe and road fixed by Sunday night.

Pichette said a cause for the pipe breaking was unknown but could be weather-related.

“They were still trying to figure that out,” he said. “It could have been the constant cold and thawing, cold and thawing.”