On Friday afternoon, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) was working on a 36-inch main pipe, when a valve came loose, causing water to flood onto Eastbound Shady Grove Road between Gaither Road and Route 355 Frederick Rock.
Pete Piringer, the spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services, tweeted that the incident occurred in the area of the Red Roof Inn in Rockville. Piringer described the incident as a “water main break,” but a spokesperson for WSSC said officials determined that it wasn’t technically a water main break. Rather, a valve wasn’t closed properly and came loose causing the flooding.
This happened as a result of planned work on a 36” pipe. Technically not a water main break. We apologize for the brief flow of water. Everything is cleaned up.
— WSSC Water (@WSSCWaterNews) September 6, 2019
The incident caused a traffic backup at around 2 p.m., but the water has since been cleaned up.