Crews worked through the night and into Saturday after a massive water main break tore through York Road in Cockeysville, flooding streets, damaging pavement and cutting off water to homes and businesses.

The rupture in a 30-inch pipe early Friday morning sent water surging high into the air and forced emergency road closures.

Matthew Garbark, acting director of Baltimore City Public Works, confirmed that contractors had successfully removed the section of the damaged concrete pipe and resealed it with a connector. By Saturday afternoon, following testing, crews were preparing to refill and repressurize the pipe with water.

Water service has been restored to the surrounding areas as of Saturday afternoon. Businesses in Shawan Plaza and Ashland Corner that had experienced low water pressure or no water service since Friday afternoon now have their faucets flowing again.

However, the loss of revenue for business, especially on the cusp of the weekend, is significant.

Indian Ocean Restaurant off Ashland Road closed around noon Friday.

“We’re a small business, and we’re new here. We’ve been open for 17 months,” said Saksham Malla, a waiter at the restaurant.

Fridays are one of the restaurant’s busiest days of the week, and having to cancel reservations and carry-out orders is noteworthy.

Moses Riehl, manager of the Pennsylvania Dutch Market in the plaza off York Road, said closing Friday significantly impacted the family businesses that work out of the market.

At the same time, “it’s not often you see a break like that and, for them to work through the night and be able to fix it within a day, that is incredible teamwork. I am amazed what people do for people,” Riehl said.

Earlier Saturday, the county had opened two bottled water distribution sites for residents.

The break — one of the most disruptive in recent memory for the area — ripped up large sections of the road and caused water to flow for hours. Business owners said they watched in shock as pavement cracked and pieces of asphalt were carried down the street.

Garbark said the county should have the impacted portion of York Road reopened by Sunday. But for now York Road will remain closed from Schilling Road to Ashland Road.

Businesses with locations off the closed stretch of York Road still have piles of red soot, pebbles and large chunks of asphalt covering their parking lots.

Although the cause of the rupture is unknown, officials say aging infrastructure is a known concern on this stretch of York Road.

Todd Huff, the owner of Brooks and Huff Tire and Auto Center and the landlord of the businesses that directly face the water main break, was a member of the Baltimore County Council in 2014.

“They had plans even then to replace the water infrastructure here,” he said.

Repairs of the water line have been completed from Ridgely Road to Padonia Road, Huff said. The section of York Road to Shawan Road is the last strip of the water line to be replaced. Officials with the county have confirmed that the project is in the final stages of the design phase.

What to do after a water main break

After a large water main break, it’s important to take the following precautions:

• Run cold water: Flush your taps by running cold water for 5–10 minutes to remove any sediment.
• Avoid hot water use initially: Do not use hot water until cold water runs clear to avoid pulling sediment into your water heater.
• Clean aerators: Remove and rinse faucet aerators/screens to clear any debris.
• Check for discoloration: If water is discolored, continue flushing.

DPW continues to monitor the system to ensure water quality. For questions or concerns, Baltimore County residents can call 443-263-2220.