Crews work to locate, fix broken waterline

About a foot of water pooled in some parts of the affected area.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A major waterline break flooded and forced streets on the lower West Side to close.
Eugene Leson Jr., the city water department's chief engineer, said late Wednesday that members of his department were unable to determine which of the three waterlines in that area broke. It may take until today to determine which line broke, he said.
There are three waterlines in that area, a 36-inch line, a 30-inch line and one that is either 6 or 8 inches, Leson said.
About 1:40 p.m. Wednesday, the water department was notified of water flooding Marshall Street, near the Youngstown Maennerchor building. The water flooded the German social club's back parking lot but didn't get into the building.
Business flooded
Comfort Keepers, a Mahoning Avenue business that provides nonmedical in-home care, wasn't as lucky, as water got into that building.
"It poured in at a steady rate and continues to fill up," Jeff Mirkin, who owns the business, said Wednesday. "It's more than just a few drops. We're using sandbags to stop it from coming in."
The water caused damage to the building's carpeting, tile and a wall as well as to equipment, he said.
"We also have a terrible odor from the runoff," Mirkin said.
Water didn't get into YESCO Electrical Supply Inc. on Marshall Street, but areas around the business filled with water Wednesday.
About a foot of water pooled in some parts of the affected area, Leson said.
Though portions of Marshall Street, Mahoning Avenue and West Avenue were closed to traffic, water service in that area wasn't affected, Leson said. Traffic on Marshall Street could be closed for a few days because of the waterline break, he said.
skolnick@vindy.com