A 16-inch water main broke at about 11 a.m. Wednesday beneath University Avenue between Comstock and Ostrom avenues, said Paul Sacco, the foreman for Syracuse’s water department.

The water gushed into a steam vault, causing a geyser of steam to erupt for 10 hours from a manhole on the corner of Comstock and University, Sacco said.

About 15 city employees responded to the pipe break, which occurred most likely because of old age, as it was part of the city’s 100-year-old pipe system, Sacco said.

The manhole filled with about 4 feet of water before city employees cut off the water, Sacco said. No one was injured.

The employees closed the segment of University Avenue and closed off the water main to search for the break, leaving several Comstock buildings without water between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., Sacco said.

While Sacco said that water main breaks are common, especially during harsh Syracuse winters, Wednesday’s situation was unique with the combination of the water and steam. He estimated that he hadn’t encountered such a unique situation in 10 years.

‘Usually, when a main brakes, the water shows up above ground,’ Sacco said. ‘This time, the water found a steam vault and a manhole.’

Published on April 14, 2004 at 12:00 pm