Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Saturday, April 14, 2012
(BLOOMINGTON) - A water main break at the GE appliances factory in Bloomington caused a nearby neighborhood to flood Friday afternoon.
According to GE, the factory staff had been conducting a routine test of the water main when something went wrong.
"They noticed the pressure had dropped and I noticed it in my backyard," said Dorris Dougherty of Bloomington.
Just two weeks ago, the Dougherty family had finished a massive landscaping project in their backyard, which included a patio and a pond stocked with goldfish. The water main break ruined that project in just 20 minutes Friday.
"As you can see it's all gone," Dougherty said. "It just seems like it was all for nothing."
"I didn't know what to think," said Tracy Harrison, Dorris Dougherty's daughter. "I came over here and just wanted to cry."
Within minutes the water rushed through several backyards and into nearby Grand Avenue. GE spokeswoman Kim Freeman said it wasn't clear exactly how much water discharged into the neighborhood.
Janis Weddle called 911 after seeing water in the street on her drive home.
"It was coming so fast there was no way for me to stop it," Weddle said.
GE crews managed to shut off the water just before it crept into Weddle's garage. It appeared as though the water began to recede before there was damage inside any of the homes, but GE vowed to work with their neighbors.
"We will work with the surrounding area and anyone who was impacted," Freeman said. "We will certainly work with them."
"I hope they do because I can't come out and re-landscape," Dougherty said.
For now, the family is simply trying to locate the 30 goldfish they lost from the small backyard pond that now looks more like a lake.
"I think we've got two or three left in there. I can see some floating," Dougherty said. "It's very disheartening."
According to the city of Bloomington, there was no threat of contamination because the water discharged during the break was drinking water quality.
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