Updated at 9 a.m. Wednesday — An issue with a water main valve near Marriott International headquarters in Bethesda produced a geyser-like tower of water that shut down a section of Fernwood Road on Tuesday.
The incident happened in the 10400 block of Fernwood Road on Tuesday afternoon.
The image above is from a reader who drove by as the water shot up from the road.
Another witness said the water shot up almost 50 feet and was freezing in nearby trees.
WSSC said it eventually shut down the 36-inch main under the road to repair a vacuum valve. The agency had to call in Montgomery County Department of Transportation plow crews to clear ice:
36″ main is shutdown to repair air vacuum valve, 10400 blk of Fernwood Rd. Crew must clear ice b4 repair begins. 18 customers are affected.- WSSC Water News (@WSSCWaterNews) February 24, 2015
Eighteen customers were without water service Tuesday evening, though WSSC said all customers had water service by Wednesday morning.
WSSC has dealt with about 200 water main breaks over the last week of sub-freezing temperatures.
Photo via Heather Bradley
