Cal Oaks to Be Closed for a Week After Murrieta Water Main Break

A major Murrieta thoroughfare will be closed for up to a week following a water main break in the area that tore up the street.

Around 7 a.m. Wednesday, water began gushing from a pipe beneath California Oaks Road, near Hancock Avenue.  Soon, the pressure was so great that the asphalt itself began to crack and bubble, according to fire and water district officials. 

Though Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District crews were able to reroute the water fairly quickly, within about 45 minutes, the 16 inch PVC water line— connected to the main pump station that imports water from Lake Skinner— was leaking at a rate of approximately 10,000 gallons of water a minute, according to district officials. 

"We estimate that somewhere between 450,000 and 500,000 thousand gallons leaked," said District Spokesman Greg Morrison.

That's enough water to supply two families of four for a year, he said.

Morrison told Patch that water district crews found the pipe had basically "split across" in an 18 inch long crack.  But by the end of the day Wednesday, the basic water repairs had been made.

"It's the amount of pavement that we have to replace that's going to take a long time," he said, adding that a total of 1,000 linear feet needs to be repaired.

Due to the needed repairs, California Oaks Road will be closed in the area.

City crews have set up the following detours: 

• Northbound traffic will be detoured onto Monroe to Los Alamos. 
• Northbound traffic can also use Jackson Ave. to Nutmeg St. as an alternate.
• Southbound traffic will be detoured on Clinton Keith to Nutmeg St. 
• Residents that live in the immediate area will be able to drive past the recommended detours to get to the side streets to get to their homes.