Residents continue to mop up mess left by large water line rupture in College Station

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – The video was remarkable to watch.

A large water line ruptured along Rock Prairie Road in College Station last week, sending more than 2 million gallons of water above tree lines onto nearby streets and into the home of Salina Johnson who has lived across from Bachman Park since 2012.

“We were sitting in the living room, and I was getting ready to go and get my HEB curbside order, and kind of out of nowhere we heard this sort of unfamiliar noise and we got up, looked outside, and it just didn’t make any sense. We could just see water, lots and lots of water,” said Johnson.

She was at home with her husband and their son had just left for work. For the next several hours, all they could do was try to stop the powerful flow of water from entering their home.

“It started coming in through the door underneath the door immediately. I grabbed towels, blankets, and anything that I could to try and block the water coming in. It didn’t do any good,” Johnson said.

On Monday, she allowed News 3′s Rusty Surette inside the home to see firsthand the damage the leak caused to the house. Inside, the carpet has been ripped up, there are 7 fans and a pair of dehumidifiers inside the living room, power is cut off to parts of the home, rooms are taped off, and personal belongings are still scattered all over the place from when they tried to get their belongings off the floor from where the water was rushing in.

The City of College Station told News 3 on Monday that the cause of the leak was a combination of an aging pipe and shifting soil from recent droughts and freezes.

“We’re getting close hopefully to the repairing phase,” said Johnson.

On the day of the flooding, the City of College Station’s risk management team contacted the family and sent them a claim form to file for the incident. Johnson said the family is meeting with a contractor this week to help determine the exact extent and cost of the damage before completing the form and sending it back to the city. Then they’ll find out what – if any – financial assistance they’ll receive from the city.

However, her insurance company has already said they won’t pay for any repairs, and currently, they’re paying out of pocket for expenses related to the immediate clean-up process. To help, the family has set up a GoFundMe page for assistance.

Right now what they desire most is to return to normalcy and to get the cleanup completed as quickly as possible.

“Frustration yes. Stress yes. We just really want to be back to normal,” said Johnson.