CHANHASSEN, Minn. -- Water main breaks are inconvenient, but certainly not rare during the heart of a Minnesota winter.
It is unusual, however, that a break in a major water line triggers a sewer backup but that's exactly what happened Wednesday night in Chanhassen. Water from the broken pipe couldn't make its way to the surface due to the frozen ground so it back-tracked into the city's sewer system.
Residents in 18 of homes in the vacinity of 8600 Chanhassen Hills Drive South noticed their toilets and sinks backing up around 7:30 p.m., about the same time the water main break was diagnosed. Soon, a mixture of water and sewage began spewing into the affected homes, filling the basements with a foul, smelly mess.
Shari Hoeft's home was among those impacted. She said she had foul sewer water shooting out of her basement toilet and drains, and at one point the water was nearly up to her knees.
Crews were on the scene all night trying to fix the problem. Water was still off to the impacted neighborhood as of 7 a.m. Thursday. That proved a severe inconvenience for residents who couldn't shower or prepare for work and school. A city spokesperson said the water main was finally fixed around 3 p.m. Thursday.
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