ST. LOUIS — Jeff Geisler estimates that 20,000 cars pass in front of his Midwest Autoplex dealership near Arsenal Street and Jamieson Avenue on a given day. But after a water main break left a crater that closed part of Arsenal over the past weekend, he said he expected no customers Monday.
The break was one of 16 the city responded to between Friday and Sunday, prompted by the failure of a 20-inch main in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood Friday, a city spokesman said. In neighborhoods across South City, residents and businesses were left without running water, with streets awaiting repairs.
The breaks come as the St. Louis Board of Aldermen considers a bill that would impose one of the largest water rate hikes in recent history as a way to generate money the city says it needs to pay for updating the water system.
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For David Carr, 56, the Arsenal closure meant more cars driving down his block of nearby Hoffman Avenue. When the water main broke Sunday around dinner time, Carr said he thought a broken fire hydrant had caused a flood.
“I couldn’t even get up there,†Carr said of the location of the break. “I’d have to had a boat.â€
Carr said water pressure at his home went down Sunday night, but service remained on.
“I hope they come and clean my street up,†Carr said. “I ain’t see the street department here in four years. They’ve never street cleaned my street. I’ve called them and called them, and I can’t get through and whatever. I’m not a patient person.â€
Resident Bill Wiley, 72, said his water was shut off Monday after a main broke near the intersection of Plainview Avenue and Chippewa Street Sunday evening.
Water still seeped from gaps in the surface of Plainview Avenue Monday morning as Water Division crews worked to fix the break. When it broke, Wiley said there was still water in his home’s system, so he pooled it into containers to create a reserve.
A St. Louis water division worker helps co-workers search for a shut-off valve while working at an 8-inch water main break outside 6707 Plainview Avenue at Chippewa Street on Monday, June 12, 2023. A city spokesperson said the location was one of many water main breaks throughout neighborhoods in South St. Louis, caused by a chain reaction following last Friday's break at Donovan and Lansdowne.
A notice left on his doorknob said water would be shut off until midnight Tuesday.
Nearby, resident Gina Mastrantonio said her water was shut off until around 2:45 p.m. Saturday afternoon after a 20-inch water main broke the previous morning, spewing water across Donovan Avenue near Lansdowne Avenue, in front of her apartment building.
Mastrantonio said one of the workers told her that he didn’t know when the gaping hole left by repairs would be filled back in. A layer of mud still covered the sidewalk outside her apartment Monday morning.
“It’s just a mess,†Mastrantonio said. She said she expects it to take some time before the street looks normal again.
“I’m pretty sure that hole will be there for another three months before they get to this,†she said.
Alderman Tom Oldenburg of Ward 2, where the breaks that impacted Wiley and Mastrantonio occurred, said its important that the city quickly repairs the broken water mains.
“We need water to live, period,†Oldenburg said. “So the faster we can restore and maintain a sustainable system, the better for everybody.â€
But he said he is not sold on the proposal by Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer, of far South City, which would increase the average homeowner’s water rate by $30 per quarter, to $105. The bill advanced past an aldermanic committee on Wednesday.
Instead, Oldenburg said the city should look into appropriating money the city received from the American Rescue Plan Act — or try to receive funds federal funds provided to the state through the Build Back Better Act — to lessen the financial burden on city households.
“We boast some of the best water in the in the country,†Oldenburg said. “And we need a long-range plan to fund the infrastructure for our water. I will say, I wish we could find another way to source it.â€
Nick Desideri, with the St. Louis mayor's office, addresses media one the scene of a 20 inch water main break on Donovan Avenue which they say illustrates the need to raise city water rates to fix infrastructure issues. Video by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
Photos: City of St. Louis deals with aging water infrastructure, wave of water main breaks
A motorcyclist, right, pauses before moving past a water main break at the intersection of Queens and Lilian avenues in the Mark Twain neighborhood of north St. Louis on Thursday, July 6, 2023. St. Louis police officers cordoned off streets because the gushing water was strong enough to reach power lines high above the breakage. Last month, the Board of Aldermen passed a plan to levy one of the largest water rate increases in recent history to pay for long-needed upgrades to the century-old system. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com
Tim Reynolds, treatment plant supervisor at the city of St. Louis' Chain of Rocks Pumping station, helps illuminate a continuously leaking valve on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, beneath the filtration tanks at the water plant during a tour for journalists. Officials there say the valves never stop leaking clean water; so the engineers manage pressure despite the loss. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
A leaking valve spews a constant stream of water on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, beneath the filtration tanks at the city of St. Louis' Chain of Rocks Pumping station during a tour for journalists. Officials there say many of the valves never stop leaking clean water; so the engineers manage pressure despite the loss. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
Steve Boyer, left, and Josh Owens with Bates Utility Company repair a water main break on Monday, June 12, 2023, at the intersection of Eiler Street and South Compton Avenue in St. Louis. A city spokesperson said the location was one of 16 water main breaks throughout neighborhoods in South St. Louis, that were caused by a chain reaction following last Friday's break at Donovan and Lansdowne -- due to changes in pressure.
Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
A St. Louis water division worker helps co-workers search for a shutoff valve while working at an 8-inch water main break outside 6707 Plainview Avenue at Chippewa Street on Monday, June 12, 2023. A city spokesperson said the location was one of 16 water main breaks throughout neighborhoods in South St. Louis, that were caused by a chain reaction following last Friday's break at Donovan and Lansdowne -- due to changes in pressure. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com
A St. Louis water division worker helps co-workers search for a shut-off valve while working at an 8-inch water main break outside 6707 Plainview Avenue at Chippewa Street on Monday, June 12, 2023. A city spokesperson said the location was one of many water main breaks throughout neighborhoods in South St. Louis, caused by a chain reaction following last Friday's break at Donovan and Lansdowne.
The street remains closed where a water main break occurred Sunday on Monday, June 12, 2023, at the intersection of Arsenal Street and Jamieson Avenue in St. Louis. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com
The street remains closed where a water main break occurred Sunday on Monday, June 12, 2023, at the intersection of Arsenal Street and Jamieson Avenue in St. Louis. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com
John Warner leads his sons, Will, 8, and Patrick, 3, through rushing water on Friday, June 9, 2023, on his way to LaGrand Grocery Store during a break of a 20-inch water main in the 4400 block of Donovan Avenue on St. Louis' south side. The mayor's office says the break illustrates the need to raise city water rates to fix aging infrastructure.
"As long as the water's not coming to my feet."Gordon Hartwieger has lunch outside LaGrand's Grocery Store and Deli on Friday, June 9, 2023, during a 20-inch water main in the 4400 block of Donovan Ave. on St. Louis' south side. "As long as the water's not coming to my feet," he said. The mayor's office says the break illustrates the need to raise city water rates to fix and aging infrastructure. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
Gina Mastrantonio, above left, waits for St. Louis city water crews to repair a 20-inch water main break on Friday, June 8, 2023, outside the Bellemont Apartments in the 4400 block of Donovan Ave. on St. Louis' south side. Mastrantonio and her neighbors were without water in their apartments due to the break. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
A broken water main floods Highway 40 (Interstate 64) near the intersection of Tamm and Oakland avenues in Dogtown on Friday, May 12, 2023. Two children and a woman were rescued from a minivan that stalled in the rising water in the eastbound lanes of the highway, according to St. Louis Fire Department spokesperson Capt. Garon Mosby. The fire captain said the family was not injured.
A broken water main floods Highway 40 (Interstate 64) near the intersection of Tamm and Oakland avenues in Dogtown on Friday, May 12, 2023. The occupants of one flooded minivan were taken from the scene as the city water department worked to shut the main. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com
