RICHMOND, Ky. (WKYT) - Richmond utility officials got the call around three this morning that water was gushing right around the intersection of Four Mile Avenue and Irvine Street.

What they found was broken roadway and cracked sidewalk that had it's foundation nearly washed out due to a water main break.

Crews told us on scene that when the temperature changes, the ground shifts, moving the pipes with it. And the pipes don't have a lot of give.
The section of eighteen inch in diameter pipe has to be cut out and replaced to restore water service to the around twenty customers without.
Richmond Utilities officials say other then a little air in the lines for customers around town, the only service loss was in the immediate area.

"The best thing about our city is we're looped, meaning we're fed from two different directions. So right now very few customers out of service, and we apologize to those customers," said Scott Althauser, General Manager of Richmond Utilities.

Utility officials said while the practice is outdated, a lot of the pipes many years ago were laid on top of solid rock. Now a layer of gravel is put underneath of those pipes to give them a little bit of cushion when the ground starts to shift.