Workers repair a large hole on Hilliard Boulevard Aug. 5. The water main rupture force the city to close part of Hilliard Road.. Many residents of Coe's Post Drive experienced flood in their basements as a result of the break. (Photo by Kevin Kelley)

Cleveland Water admits area blunders
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Published Aug. 23, 2006

The head of the Cleveland Division of Water admits his department failed to properly respond to a water main break on Hilliard Road the morning of Aug. 5. Water from the break caused more than a dozen homes on Coe’s Post Run to experience basement flooding. The city of Cleveland has been making claim forms available to those residents who suffered damage.

In an interview with West Life, Chris Nielson, commissioner of Cleveland’s Division of Water, said the first call of a water line break was received at 2 a.m. The department’s first responders, who arrived at 2:40 a.m., quickly realized it was a major break and requested a repair crew within five minutes, Nielson said. That crew did not arrive until 4 a.m., he said.

“The speed of the response is not the issue,” Nielson told West Life. “To me, it’s the quality of the response. We were unable to locate and shut off the valves in a timely manner.”

Division of Water employees had trouble locating a map of the valves located at that intersection, Nielson said. The computer system mapping the water lines was down at the time of the Hilliard break, he said. Backup paper maps, which were supposed to be in the dispatcher’s office, could not be found. The maps were later found in a storage room, Nielson said.

The maps need to be more readily available, Nielson said, and his division has already initiated changes to accomplish that goal.

“We got a little to dependent on the technology,” he said.

While Cleveland Water officials were trying to locate their maps, water continued to flow into the yards and, eventually, basements of Coe’s Post residents. Employees of the Westlake Service Department, who had been on the scene since the water line break was first reported, told Cleveland Water employees they knew where the water valves were. But the Cleveland Water repair crew chose not to trust their judgment, Nielson said.

He said he believed there was evidence his employees could have used the information supplied by Westlake Service Department employees.

Nielson said the Division of Water’s agreements with its client cities dictate that only Division of Water employees can touch the water valves.

“We’re reluctant to have others operating the valves on our system,” the commissioner said, adding that the policy was established to protect the safety of the water system. He said he believes the policy should be maintained despite the problems at Hilliard Aug. 5.

Mayor Dennis Clough said that the Cleveland Division of Water needs to demonstrate that it can respond appropriately to such emergencies.

“Unfortunately, this last time was not an appropriate response,” Clough said.

Clough said he was in conversations with Cleveland Water about an agreement that would allow Westlake officials to intervene if they deem it necessary to prevent further damage.

“If they were able to respond quickly and prevent further damage, then I don’t have a problem with (Cleveland Water’s policy),” Clough said. “We’re looking for ways to have a backup in case we don’t have the necessary response that we need to prevent this from ever happening again,” Clough said.

“We need to protect our residents as well,” he added.

Ward 5 Councilman Ken Brady said he plans to hold a public meeting with Coe’s Post residents once conversations with Cleveland Water have concluded.

Brady said 15 residents suffered flooding in their homes. “Some of them only an inch, others a foot,” Brady said.

Nielson said his department is conducting an internal investigation into how his employees handled the emergency.

“There will be pre-disciplinary hearings,” he said.

On Aug. 11 and 12, an investigator from the Cleveland Law Department spoke to Coe’s Post homeowners affected by the flooding. Damage claim forms are being made available to these residents.

“We will consider each claim on its merits,” Nielson said.

Cleveland Water officials said the break in the line was caused by excessive heat that caused the pipe to shift.

As far as water main breaks go, the one on Hilliard Boulevard wasn’t very unusual, Nielson said.

“The unusual part is that we were not able to respond in the way that we should have,” he said. “It’s not our proudest moment.”

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