CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Randolph Road is back open after Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities crews fixed a water pipe that broke on Tuesday, causing a sinkhole.
Officials say the leaking water pipe was just one inch in diameter.
Crews made repairs overnight in the 12-foot deep hole, patching a sewer line that was apparently damaged when the roadway collapsed.
Cam Coley, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility spokesman, said the leaking pipe, thought to be at least 30 years old, had once served a building that has since been demolished. Crews had capped the water line, but corrosion likely caused the pipe to rupture.
"Sometimes those little leaks can be very hard to find," said Vic Simpson, another CMU spokesperson. "Sometimes a slow or smaller leak isn’t obvious, and it can even remain under pavement and not be seen for a while. But it wears away at the soil."
Sinkholes caused by older water and sewer lines are not uncommon, although shifting soil and extreme weather conditions can also cause pipes, both old and new, to fail.
Some of the city's pipes are more than 100 years old.
"Forty to 50 years, you start looking for trouble frankly," Simpson said, adding the department maintains more than 8,000 miles of water and sewer pipe.
Simpson said customers can help spot potential problems if they notice a change in water pressure, discolored water coming from their faucet, or water bubbling up from asphalt.
Those issues should be reported by calling 311, he said.
Utility crews continuously examine underground pipes for problems. In some cases, a special epoxy is sprayed inside aging water and sewer lines, extending the expected lifespan of the pipe.
CMU spends about $15 million each year to maintain and repair water and sewer lines.
