UPDATE: Water Restored After Main Break Floods Two Homes, Cuts Flow to 16

UPDATE, Dec. 21, 8:45 a.m.: Water flow was restored to 16 homes that lost it Thursday night when a water main broke along NE 90th Street in Kirkland’s Highlands neighborhood. City of Kirkland spokeswoman Marie Stake said water was restored between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. Friday morning. Other homes in the area might also have been affected as crews repaired the break and flushed the system. City Public Works crews continued to repair the road at mid-morning Friday, but it remained open to traffic. Residents experiencing issues can call the Public Works Maintenance Center at 425-587-3900.

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Original story:

A water main break flooded two homes and cut the water supply to 16 homes in the Highlands neighborhood of Kirkland Thursday night, also sending up spouts on either side of NE 90th Street.

The break occurred at about 9:20 p.m. in the 11400 block of 90th. Kirkland Fire Department crews laid down 5-inch hoses to divert the resulting flow toward a storm drain and away from the homes.

“Our guys laid out some 5-inch hoses and charged them with water so we made sort of a dam and diverted the water so it was more able to get to the drain,” said KFD Battalion Chief Mike Haschak. “We also brought in pumps and pumped out water from the homes that were flooded.”

Kirkland Public Works Department crews shut off flow to the broken main sometime not long after the break was reported and apparently worked into the night repairing the break.

Kirkland Patch was not able to reach anyone in that department early Friday morning to see if the repairs had been completed yet. But Haschak said they were on the scene working as fire department crews wrapped up.

The break also damaged NE 90th, he said.

“Water was coming up on both sides of the road, which made it more challenging for us,” Haschak said. “The integrity of the road was compromised with water going under it like that.”