NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A water main break in the heart of Wedgewood-Houston brought major headaches this week.
Metro Water Services crews responded to a 36-inch water main break on Chestnut Street as it caused significant flooding and roadway damage Wednesday afternoon.
It also sent water seeping into nearby businesses like Apple and Soho House.
"We started throwing down towels at first, blocking the initial flow from the door and also putting them down as barricades so it didn't go into the main club," said someone who works in the area.
While it's still under investigation, Metro Water said the pipe probably burst naturally. It was one of the oldest pipes in the city — they believe it was installed all the way back in 1889!
"Sometimes when we experience drought, that can cause the ground shift," said public information coordinator Kevin Schmidt. "And if you're going from drought to rain or rain to drought, you can see shifts in the ground...that's what we mean by natural causes on the water main break."
While the flooding was taken care of Wednesday afternoon, the very old pipe, and the lack of water, caused some very new spots to temporarily close.
"We were so bummed, we wanted to go into the Hermes store, and it said due to unforeseen circumstances we are closed," said Alexa Barnett.
Thankfully, officials say the water was back and running by 6 p.m. Crews were hard at work Wednesday to clean up the remaining mess.
Customers can view active and ongoing repairs on the Metro Water Services Outage Map at nashville.gov, or report service issues by calling the 24/7 Customer Service line at 615-862-4600.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
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