The water main that broke on St. Peter Street and Bourbon Street over the weekend, spewing a stream of water into the air and onto the Cat's Meow, was the result of an old corroded line more than 100 years old, according Richard Rainey with the Sewerage and Water Board.
“It was really wild,” said Raymond Lewis, who works across the street at Cornet Restaurant. “It was crazy.”
Before the break, Sewerage and Water Board crews were working on a section of a failed cast iron water main, originally installed in 1908, according to Rainey.
“The Sewerage and Water board guy, he was in there (the hole) at first and as soon as it (the water) spurred up. He hurried up and hopped out of there,” said Lewis.
This all happened during a busy Saturday in the French Quarter and witnesses say this rush of water was consistent and didn’t stop for roughly 20 minutes.
“People were just walking by. Filming, recording. And they had no way to shut it off,” said Lewis.
The water seeped into the building.
Luckily the Cat’s Meow was closed at the time. The business reported a few broken windows and other minor damages, but crews were able to fix the issue. According to Rainey, crews reinforced the entire section of pipe rather than repair the connection alone.
“Crews did all of this without shutting off the water. This allowed the rest of the French Quarter to operate unaffected,” Rainey said in a statement.” The bar was back open by 7 p.m. that night.
Down a few blocks on Barracks Street, neighbors were not surprised to hear about the break. Here, they’ve got a leaky pothole problem.
“It’s just a terrible situation,” said neighbor Richard Bullock. “It’s been there about three years.The problem is they don’t police trucks going into the quarter, which they should and these big trucks come through and it gets worse.
Bullock, however, is quick to point out he is not alone. Another leaky hole on 1212 Royal is also causing problems. Tom Moore with Mona Lisa restaurant says it’s been an issue for roughly four months.
“I call religiously every Monday. Half the time they say it’s already been fixed and they are waiting for the city to come fill it in,” said Moore.
S&WB says they are aware of these two leaks and will fix them as time and resources dictate. Back on Barracks Street, to say neighbors like Bullock are losing faith would an understatement.
“I’ve got a fountain the backyard and (the pothole) seems to make more noise than my fountain does in the backyard. And they won’t seem to ever come and do anything about it,” said Bullock.