It looked like a geyser went off Thursday morning near 48th and Congress streets in Milwaukee.As water spewed into the air, crews rush to turn off the water and start cleaning up."I looked out the window, and it was just water shooting across the street," said a witness who did not wish to be identified.A towering column of water rained down on homes in this Lincoln Creek neighborhood Thursday morning.News Chopper 12 out of Milwaukee captured the spectacle that neighbors witnessed from their doorstep."The water was shooting up, oh my God, as tall as the trees. And it was freezing," Becky Redmond-Walker said.Water Works officials said the combination of cold temperatures and age likely caused the 1930s-era water main to burst, sending some area residents scrambling."We hurried up and ran to move our cars. The water came up to my ankles," a witness said.Water Works monitors detected the break when there was a sudden drop in pressure in the part of the city.City crews raced to shut off the water, impacting service to several homes and leaving behind an icy mess.The sidewalks, the streets of the neighborhood now covered in ice."And the next thing you know, it built a mountain on the island full of ice from the water coming out and freezing. And the street, I couldn't tell where the street began and the island end," Redmond-Walker said.Some drivers ignored the warning cones and rolled through the ice and flood-covered streets.Department of Public Works crews brought in heavy equipment to start scooping and clearing the ice and salt trucks to treat the streets.Neighbors said their homes and cars are ice-covered but not damaged.But the sight of the water column is something they won't soon forget."And it was so amazing to see something like that. I felt like I was in Niagara Falls," Redmond-Walker said.Some homes were still without water service at 5 p.m.City crews were still at the scene, and a Water Works spokesman said repairs to the busted main were expected to take several hours.
It looked like a geyser went off Thursday morning near 48th and Congress streets in Milwaukee.
As water spewed into the air, crews rush to turn off the water and start cleaning up.
"I looked out the window, and it was just water shooting across the street," said a witness who did not wish to be identified.
A towering column of water rained down on homes in this Lincoln Creek neighborhood Thursday morning.
News Chopper 12 out of Milwaukee captured the spectacle that neighbors witnessed from their doorstep.
"The water was shooting up, oh my God, as tall as the trees. And it was freezing," Becky Redmond-Walker said.
Water Works officials said the combination of cold temperatures and age likely caused the 1930s-era water main to burst, sending some area residents scrambling.
"We hurried up and ran to move our cars. The water came up to my ankles," a witness said.
Water Works monitors detected the break when there was a sudden drop in pressure in the part of the city.
City crews raced to shut off the water, impacting service to several homes and leaving behind an icy mess.
The sidewalks, the streets of the neighborhood now covered in ice.
"And the next thing you know, it built a mountain on the island full of ice from the water coming out and freezing. And the street, I couldn't tell where the street began and the island end," Redmond-Walker said.
Some drivers ignored the warning cones and rolled through the ice and flood-covered streets.
Department of Public Works crews brought in heavy equipment to start scooping and clearing the ice and salt trucks to treat the streets.
Neighbors said their homes and cars are ice-covered but not damaged.
But the sight of the water column is something they won't soon forget.
"And it was so amazing to see something like that. I felt like I was in Niagara Falls," Redmond-Walker said.
Some homes were still without water service at 5 p.m.
City crews were still at the scene, and a Water Works spokesman said repairs to the busted main were expected to take several hours.
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