COLUMBIA — A water main break underneath the sidewalk on East Broadway flooded the basement of Smoker’s Choice 2 and affected other buildings in downtown Columbia on Saturday.
Water seeped into the basement of Smoker’s Choice 2, which left standing water in the building for hours. Management said there was debris floating in the water.
The break forced Smoker’s Choice 2 to close early Saturday evening and affected the hours of the neighboring A Little More restaurant.
“A member of the sewer crew went to investigate it, there was already a member of the water division there, and they determined that it was not a sewer issue, but it was a water main break that occurred,” said Jason West, the Columbia Utilities’ communications and outreach supervisor.
West said the main was of private ownership and not a city line. West added that at this time they do not know who owns the water main.
“I do not know who the property owner is, but it would be the responsibility of the property owner,” West said.
Half of the sidewalk between South Tenth Street and Hitt Street has been closed to pedestrians for repairs. The city cannot currently offer a timetable of when the sidewalk will reopen.
Half of the sidewalk between South 10th Street and Hitt Street has been closed to pedestrians for repairs.
At this time, it is still unclear what caused the water main break. However, West said no city-owned pipes were affected.
“The sewer department did take off the manholes and inspect that area to make sure everything was up to speed, and it was,” West said.
When it comes to preventing this issue in the future, West recommended: “Just making sure property owners are educated and have the proper information they need to be able to maintain their mains and their lines.”
As for the sidewalk moving forward, the city said the maintenance and cleanliness of the sidewalk is the responsibility of the property owners and not the city itself.
To keep local businesses prepared, if a business comes to an issue such as a water main break, “their first phone call should be to the property owner, or whoever they rent the space from,” West said.
The city recommends if there is a suspected issue with connection to the main city sewer or water lines, to contact the city’s main hotline at (573) 874-2489.