Frustrated residents living along a two block stretch of Corbin Avenue in New Britain spent Friday night without water thanks to ongoing repairs on a broken water main.
Part of a 20-inch water main cracked on Corbin Avenue at Wilna Street Friday morning, sending water gushing over the road and forcing part of the road to buckle.
It took crews until about seven o'clock Friday night to get the valve shut off enough for them to cut into the pavement and start digging down to the broken main.
Once that happened, residents of about 20 homes on Corbin Avenue lost their water.
William Dantzler lives on the street with his wife and three children and says they have been with little to no water most of the day.
"This morning the water pressure was really low and then I'd say about three o'clock the toilet situation happened, there's no toilet. They did drop off a couple gallons of water but, I mean, how well is that going to work? So, it's pretty difficult right now," said Dantzler.
To help affected residents cope, city workers dropped off gallons of water on doorsteps and also provided advanced warnings that the problem could last for hours.
"They told us hopefully by midnight tonight, probably all the way till tomorrow," said Kasia Filipkowska, who is among those without water.
The nearby Stop and Shop also lost its water but the store was able to stay open, according to city officials.
Residents spent the night making the best of it, while hoping the repairs finish sooner than expected.
"I think it's pathetic. I mean it's been all day. They should have taken care of it at this point. I guess it was a pretty old water main so they should have done this before this happened so it pretty much hurts right now," said Dantzler.
The break forced police to close a two block area of Corbin Avenue from Somerset Drive to Hooker Street.
Repairs are expected to wrap up by Saturday morning but could take even longer, according to city officials.
