Leah and I were about to step out to take care of an outdoor errand, when a graying sky turned into a routine Florida downpour, putting a damper on our schedule until the storm abated. We were watching the rain from my office window, just as the city sanitation truck arrived, chugging towards our cul de sac for the weekly trash pickup. But this time around, something went terribly wrong.
The driver of the truck entered the cul de sac by driving down the center of the road instead of staying right and following the full curve of the road. Perhaps, the driver thought the truck’s turning radius could negotiate a tight 180° turn out of our dead end from his middle-of-the-road position without jumping the opposite curb…but he was wrong. The vehicle rolled over the curb–its right wheel catching a water supply cover that split under the weight of the cab–which crushed the water valve and sheared the 3-inch supply line underneath.
Suddenly, we were looking at an impropmtu geiser eruption in our front yard, rising 60 feet or more.
It was enough for me to grab my camera and photograph the ensuing drama, as if I was part of a crime scene investigation.
The police were called–filing a report and issuing a summons to the driver–but stuck around for a while to gawk at the local man-made attraction.
Thirty minutes passed before a Water Department maintenance crew eventually arrived on the scene to figure out their next step.
With water being such a precious commodity (see Well Done!), Leah and I wondered how much had been wasted.
“They better not be charging us for that,” she asserted.
“How could they,” I reassured, “It’s not like it was our mistake.”
First order of business…
…inspect the damage…
…then locate the water shut-off…
…and stop the flow…
to enable repairs.
After an hour of tinkering, the damaged fitting was finally replaced…
…with something shiny and new.
I asked the crew chief how much water he thought had been lost.
“Y’know, I have to fill out an EPA report that accounts for missing water,” he explained, “So, if I was to go with a 1000 GPM flow-rate over 45 minutes, I’d be looking at approximately 45000 gallons (or 170,000 liters) lost.”
According to city water rates, that’s equivalent to a $500 water bill, making this accident one very expensive car wash.
Streaming thru America 
Exciting day in your neighborhood! It’s interesting, I just finished reading a blog post that appeared right above yours in my WordPress reader with the exact same title. “When It Rains, It Pours”. (Their post was about a rainy trip in Arches. I just thought it was funny, they appeared one after the other. I had to do a double take to realize they were separate posts.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Funny. Fraternal twin posts separated at birth.
LikeLike
Hilarious! I love it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Stacy. It crossed my mind that this fiasco, if managed properly, could be a huge money maker if marketed as “The Geyser of Youth,” here in St. Augustine.
LikeLike
haha that’d be great!
I can honestly say I get some guilty pleasure over hearing stories like this. I’m a huge clutz, so anytime I can laugh at someone who causes a giant ruckus like this is a noteworthy in my book. I’ve caused a couple myself … though maybe not this huge…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stacy, I would be happy to hear your clutzy confessions. Feel free to comment at any time.
LikeLike
I’m actually publishing a blog post in 2 weeks about my most infamous disaster – knocking over a filing cabinet, which knocked a fire extinguisher off the wall and … yeah.
I’ve also managed to cut myself on a lint roller, get an article of clothing stuck on a display of air fresheners at Auto Zone, trip over a piece of driftwood on the beach and fall (fully clothed) into the waves, skin my knees twice as an adult, and get my bracelet caught on my shoe.
Hmmmm I think I’m going to have to write another post about all of the above…
LikeLike
Too funny. I hope you have good health insurance. I’ll be reading about your exploits.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, at least you know that the local water company knows what to do in these kinds of happenings!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hooray for confidence in our municipal employees. But driving a garbage truck is not one of their better skills!
LikeLike
If you ever get bored, perhaps the local newspaper could use a cub-reporter.
LikeLike
I accept, but first, I’ll be needing a big-shot, superhero friend.
LikeLiked by 1 person