News

Water main break floods local business

BY LISA MACKIE

Sometime between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Monday, February 2, when there was a sudden drop in temperature from about 26ûF to around 19ûF, an old cast-iron water main, built in the late 1920’s, burst and began flooding the lobby of 7000 Carroll Avenue.

"The water rushed in through the door and down the stairs as well as through the lobby floor and then poured down through our ceiling," said Lisa Schneider, manager of Takoma Underground, the main business affected by the water main break since it is located in the basement, once the vault of the bank that occupied the building.

Schneider said, "about 8 inches of water pooled in the entire store before the main could be shut off."

Spokesperson Chuck Brown of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) said, "At 2:28 am we got the call and had the main shut down at 2:30. It was back in service at 4:02 that afternoon."

However, damage was extensive. Rubenstein estimates that the total will probably be about $30,000. The store sells antique and vintage items: furniture, clothing, books, jewelry, and unique and rare memorabilia from World’s Fairs and presidential elections–as well as weird antique medical equipment. Much of it is irreplaceable.

When Rubenstein arrived at the scene, she found the person in charge and said, "I want an industrial pump set up immediately." A cleaning crew arrived by 4 a.m. "They pumped out tens of thousands of gallons of water. It took several hours. They came the next day and mopped up soot and mud and gunk, then set up de-humidifiers. Now we have mold. The minute they shut down the de-humidifiers, mold grew everywhere."

The store has been closed ever since while they wait for the space to dry out, make sure there is no danger from compromised electrical outlets, and do an inventory of the damaged merchandise. Schneider said she must wear a mask as protection from the toxic black mold that is growing on everything.

Water main breaks are not uncommon in this area. Of the 5,300 miles of water mains in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, 2,900 are cast-iron pipe. Brown said, "generally we see a 60 percent increase in water main breaks in the winter months. When the water temperature gets very cold and hits cast-iron mains, it’s enough to cause them to break."

Brown added that the WSSC is working to prevent future breaks: "We continue to invest to replace [old pipes]. We have allocated $220 million over the next six years to replace 200 miles of cast iron with ductile iron."

Takoma Park and Hyattsville are two areas where breaks have been frequent over the past few years, and where the WSSC is focusing its efforts. "We either put in a cement lining or replace the old cast-iron," said Brown.

With the basement still moist and piles of wet and moldy textiles, purses, and clothing being catalogued for the insurance claim, Takoma Underground did not seem like it would be re-opening anytime soon. Rubenstein decided to make the most of a bad situation and look for a new, above ground location. She said, "The only thing that would get me to make a change was disaster."

Luckily they found a location at 7014 Westmoreland Avenue, the current site of Loriola Gallery. The proprietor had been wanting to focus more on her art than on the retail space, so this is an advantageous move for everyone.

"We’ll have complementary customers with Sangha–there will be a draw for customers," said Rubenstein, commenting on the space which is just off the main commercial thoroughfare. She promised that "the store will be the same flavor."

The new Takoma Underground, which will be keeping its name despite the move into the light, will open on April first. "I’m gonna be open April Fool’s Day–I’d have it no other way," said Rubenstein, who is excited for the change. After seven years the store will be undergoing a metamorphosis, she said, entering "a new phase of its existence."