A damaged water main on Washington Street caused a 50 foot Geyser around 10:00 a.m. Wilmington Police confirmed that the water was shut down and there may be some lane restrictions on Washington Street.

WILMINGTON (DE): Police say a contractor doing work in the area struck the main and caused it to break at about 10 o’clock this morning. Public Works employees responded shortly thereafter to get the water flow under control.

A number of businesses and residences in the surrounding area are currently without water, but Wilmington Hospital, located at 501 West 14th Street, remains unaffected as it draws its water supply from the Jefferson Street region.

The Department of Public Works expects the repairs to take between two and three hours to complete, and motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible until further notice.

“Anyone living or working in the area who sees brown water running out of the taps in their home should let the water run until it’s clear”, said John Rago, the deputy chief of staff for policy and communications for the city of Wilmington.

It took crews 45 minutes to shut off the water and water was restored just before 6:00 P.M.