A water main break on the 2900 block of Garnet Avenue near Mission Bay Drive backed up traffic for hours on Friday, Feb. 9. A second water main on Saturday, Feb. 10, cut off water service to the Paradise Point Resort Hotel, 1404, Vacation Rd.
According to Tedi Jackson, spokeswoman for the San Diego Water Department, Friday’s flooding was caused by a break in an 8-inch asbestos cement pipe originally installed in 1955 that serves fire hydrants. She said the same type of pipe broke on Saturday, disrupting water service to the hotel.
“We delivered water wagons to the hotel and convention center areas,” she said.
The cause for both breaks is unknown, Jackson said.
Russ Cyr, director of engineering, at the Paradise Resort Hotel, said the lack of water service at the hotel was an inconvenience but management has emergency plans for these situations. He said Porta-Potties, handwashing stations and potable water was delivered to the hotel.
Paradise Point Director of Rooms Joe St. Laurent said the hotel’s food and beverage department delivered bottled water to all of the guests’ rooms.
“It not only impacted our guests, but also the people here for the conference,” he said. “We had a major catering event with 1,200 people. Ivanka Trump was speaking here that day.”
A similar incident happened almost exactly one year before when a water line broke at the intersection of West Mission Bay Drive and Mission Boulevard Feb. 11, 2006, shutting off service to Mission Beach residents south of Belmont Park and two Mission Bay resorts ” the Bahia Resort Hotel the Dana on Mission Bay, which was hosting a conference and a wedding reception.
Another water line break on May 3 shut down part of Grand Avenue and Figueroa Boulevard and cut service to Mission Bay High School, the Mission Bay Golf Course and nearby residents for up to two days.