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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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PAUL closes in Western Market
By Ella Mitchell, Staff Writer • April 22, 2024

Water main break floods 22nd Street

An apparent water main break at the corner of 22nd and F streets has sent a rush of water south toward Virginia Avenue.
An apparent water main break at the corner of 22nd and F streets has sent a rush of water south toward Virginia Avenue. Andrew Nacin/Hatchet photographer

8:57 p.m.

A water main break at the corner of 22nd and F streets sent a rush of water south toward Virginia Avenue early Thursday morning, flooding the street and causing water pressure issues in surrounding buildings.

The incident closed the 500 block of 22nd Street until about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, and five campus buildings near the area – including International House – experienced water outages. Bottled water was provided at those locations.

Junior Travis Holler said he was walking down 22nd Street at about 1:30 a.m. and saw the pavement suddenly shift, giving way to a rush of water.

“At first I thought it was just a lot of rain water running off and as I got closer I realized it was a broken water main. I flagged down UPD,” he said.

Before D.C. Water and Sewer Authority officials turned off the water at around 2:30 a.m., water was coming out of the street in at least three places and moving down the block and pooling at the corner of 22nd Street and Virginia Avenue near International House. Holler said there was no water pressure in his house, which is located in the 500 block of 22nd Street.

The building at 524 22nd St. and the Smith Center experienced “water intrusions,” according to a campus advisory Thursday morning.

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