Roads near the scene of the incident were closed so crews could work to repair the pavement. The same area was previously worked on by crews who repaired a wastewater line earlier in the year, the Statesman reported.

“The nearby intersection was closed to determine the condition of the street as the sinkhole is getting larger due to a broken underground water pipe,” said Antonio Lujan, an official for the school district.

The sinkhole was between 8 and 12 inches deep. Crews from the public works department were repaving the road where the sinkhole was located and expected the work to be completed the next day.

Sinkhole reported near San Francisco
Eight homes 100 miles north of San Francisco were evacuated and 10 other homes were on notice to be evacuated after a sinkhole opened in Lake County, Calif. The Global Post said there’s a chance that all 30 homes in the neighborhood will be evacuated if the sinkhole cannot be repaired.

The sinkhole in the California hills is slow moving and unpredictable. The cause of the sinkhole is unknown but the county’s Public Works Director Scott De Leon told the source it could be from a dormant volcano.

Students were let out by 10:30 a.m. and busing was available to those students who needed to be transported home.

Water main break reported in Massachusetts
A large water main break caused some trouble in Springfield, Massachusetts, where water was sent four stories into the air, NBC Springfield affiliate WWLP reported. The pipe ruptured near the corner of Maple and Union Streets around noon May 15 and water traveled as far as a half-block from the location of the leak.

“I’ve seen a lot of things in my position, but nothing like this yet,” said Jack Vanasse of the Springfield School Department. “It’s a nice water geyser, it’s like Old Faithful; it kind of reminds me of that.”

Crews from the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission controlled the break fairly quickly despite how large the leak was, according to WWLP. A nearby gas company worker struck the main and caused the break.

Water supply to the main was shut off while workers finished repairs. WWLP said no customers’ water service was disrupted because of the leak.

Police told the Pioneer Press that the sinkhole near 102nd Street West and Scarborough Road was between 8 and 9 feet deep. Rescue crews had to be called to the scene to retrieve the man from the hole. After being pulled from the sinkhole by Bloomington Police, the man was taken to Fairview Southdale Hospital where he was treated for injuries to his shoulder and face.

Authorities from the police department surveyed the area near the sinkhole after rescuing the man and determine that no other ground appeared to be unstable, however, an investigation into the cause of the sinkhole is underway, according to the source.

Maryland sinkhole traps car
After a water main break sent water spewing in Pikesville, Maryland, a car was swallowed by the resulting sinkhole. According to CBS affiliate KTHV 11, public works officials said an 8-inch water main caused the hole to open.

Quency Bynum was leaving his mother’s house when his car fell into the hole. Crews were able to retrieve his car from the sinkhole, the source reported.

“Either a valve is broken or a pipe is busted,” said Chuck Spencer, assistant construction supervisor of the Bangor Water District.

Water spewed from the ground after the break was discovered around 10 a.m. The leak is expected to be repaired by the end of the day. If the break can be isolated then fewer customers may have to go without water, the article stated.

“We’ll have everybody back in order before we leave,” Spencer added. “They’re going to shut down from Essex Street to just this side of Fruit Street.”

Water main break reported in Pennsylvania
Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, was cleaning up after a water main flooded roadways, NBC10 Philadelphia reported. The line broke under Springfield Avenue between Broadway and Berkley Avenue May 14.

Residents could reportedly see water flowing from two holes in the street. As a result, muddy water gushed down the roadway and what appeared to be pieces of the road were cluttered around the gushers.

Springfield Avenue was closed so crews could shut off the flow of water. The source said it was unknown if there were any homes or businesses in the area affected by the ruptured pipe.

Of the $700,000 fine, $455,000 will be applied to a citywide study of deferred sewer maintenance, which will identify possible risks at the plant. The remainder of the fine will be paid out of the city’s public works operating budget. Two public works employees were fired for their errors that contributed to the leak and revealed the city’s maintenance problems.

The article said the leak started after employees failed to notice a rotted gate seal. So many fish were killed in the incident because of the drought’s contribution to historically low river levels.

City officials weren’t surprised by the equipment failure and had already begun planning the repairs to the gate before the leak occurred. According to The Wichita Eagle, the city has set aside $5.5 million for the sewer system’s needed repair and replacements, and it will also set aside a similar amount in 2014.

Wichita is currently financing a risk assessment on the city’s system, and Public Works Director Alan King said they are looking at different approaches to conducting the assessment.

“If we’re going to invest large sums of money in the system, we want to have a sense of how we prioritize those repairs and replacements,” he added.

“We are a water-conscious community and I’m glad we’re receiving national recognition for that,” said Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, who held a media conference May 7.

The Wyland Foundation said Tucson was motivated to win the competition and those living in the community appeared to be well-informed about the impact of water usage. Tucson Water Director Alan Forrest attributed the utility’s leadership to the community’s activeness regarding water conservation.

“This is evidenced by the participation of residents pledging for Tucson in the challenge,” Forrest added.

Now that the competition is complete among the cities, the winners from each category are eligible for prizes including a new Toyota Prius. Also in Tucson’s category was Corpus Christi, Texas, Miami, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Long Beach, California. Tucson was the only city in Arizona to be listed in any of the top 10 categories.

Officials determined the cause of the 8-by-10 foot sinkhole was from a water main break on Lawyers Road. According to NBC Washington, D.C. affiliate WRC-TV, traffic disruptions lasted for several hours while crews worked to repair the hole.

In order to help traffic move through the area easier, travelers headed westbound were directed around the hole to Steeplechase Drive. Those traveling east were limited to one lane.

Sinkhole opens in Canada
Police in Winnipeg, Canada, blocked off a sinkhole in the city’s Garden City neighborhood. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation said officials responded to the scene after a call was made to city officials around 1 p.m. May 12.

The sinkhole was repaired May 13 after crews from the city were able to assess the hole. Crews also shut off water service to homes in the area of the sinkhole to determine if a water leak was the cause of the sinkhole.

While there was no time frame set for when service to residents would be restored, crews from the Philadelphia Water Department were at the scene of the leak making the necessary repairs to the ruptured pipe.

Minnesota school closes due to ruptured water main
An early morning water main break May 13 also affected Minnesota residents. In Lakeville, some elementary students missed school because of a water main break at the building.

Minneapolis CBS affiliate WCCO said the school had to be evacuated after the broken water main caused significant damage to the building. No one was injured in the early morning disaster, but school officials determined it best to transport the children to other schools.

Structural engineers assessed the building and found the damage to be too extensive, the source reported. Students were transported to another elementary school the day of the water main break.

Crews were reportedly able to stop the water supply to the pipe that was pumping out an estimated 10,000 gallons of water per minute. The Journal-Constitution said the location of the break had not yet been discovered.

Although one lane of Cobb Parkway was eventually reopened, officials later closed another lane because of worries that the street was unsafe and unable to handle traffic. The source said the water main break was because of a welding failure. The repairs to the road will be more extensive than originally thought.

Arizona road closed after water leak
Residents in Tempe, Arizona, were affected by the closure of Scottsdale Road’s northbound lane after a water main break May 10. The Arizona Republic said the age of the pipe is what caused it to rupture.

Due to the water sitting on the road, a sinkhole later opened up and the road will now be closed for several days in order for crews to complete the necessary repairs.

Water service was expected to be restored by the evening hours of May 10. The Republic also said the repairs to the pipe and damaged street will be finished by May 13.

The 20-inch cast-iron pipe runs under the west side of the street and broke between M Street and Rhode Island Avenue around 4 a.m. The source said crews had to shut off the water supply by hand-turning the values around the area of the break which took several hours to complete.

Several buildings were without water and some even reported minor underground flooding due to the water main break. There were also customers that experienced a reduction in water pressure because six downtown waterlines had to be shut off, according to the Post.

The line is was installed in 1897, however, crews from the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority aren’t quite sure whether it was age, vibrations from the excavation or something else that caused the break.

“This is not a line that breaks very often, even though it’s old,” said D.C. Water and Sewer Authority General Manager George Hawkins. “If we were to predict where a water main break would be in the city, it wouldn’t be here.”

Both water main and road repairs were expected to be completed by the morning of May 13, the source reported.