Water main break causes sinkhole to rip open in Fall River

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) – A section of downtown Fall River will be closed for the next few days after a water main broke and left behind a major sinkhole. 

The pipe broke around 4:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day on Rock Street. The force of the rushing water created a sinkhole around the corner on Locust Street.

“Water is one of the most powerful elements. It will take a turn wherever it wants,” said Bob Pearson, President of the Fall River Water Board. 

He said the pipe that burst is about 100-years-old and couldn’t handle the freezing temperatures any longer. 

“The water main froze which is a natural occurrence in a city this old,” said Pearson. “There are over 220 miles of water mains throughout the city and they let go occasionally.”

The damaged section of Locust Street is no longer safe to use until repairs are complete. 

“It’s like a scene out of Hollywood. Like an earthquake,” said resident Jose Medeiros. “There are some serious holes over there. The sidewalks fell through.”

Medeiros is one of about 40 residents who woke up in 2020 without running water because of the break. A new pipe was brought in around 10:00 a.m. and water was restored.

Pearson said Locust Street will have to be dug up and completely replaced, which will cost around $1 million. He said the project will be expedited because it’s a busy area of the city with both a school and a courthouse nearby. He predicts crews will complete the work in the next few days.

“We have contingency funding for such matters,” said Pearson.

Aging infrastructure is a problem many cities across the country face, according to associate professor of civil engineering at URI, Joe Goodwill.

“A lot of them were installed, yea, about a hundred years ago,” Goodwill said. “The records of their installation isn’t exactly the most meticulous. So even where exactly these pipes are, or what materials they’re made out of, isn’t readily knowable.”

Fall River is currently repairing all the old pipes, and the water mane that burst on New Years was set to be replaced this summer.

It’s a long term project that Goodwill said is hard for a city to take.

“We bury them relatively deep. That causes problems later when it’s time to replace them. But its also necessary because of the ground freezing issues,” he said.

Police have Rock Street blocked off from Walnut to Locust Street, and from Locust Street to Main Street, as crews repair the damage.

The project should be completed in the next couple of weeks.

©WLNE-TV/ABC6 2020