Residents of a Germantown, Maryland, neighborhood are without water Wednesday morning after a water main break. WSSC Water said Tuesday afternoon that its crews were working to mend a fractured water main on Clopper Road near Cinnamon Drive, just over two months since a pair of broken pipes under the same stretch of roadway left hundreds without service.

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Around 200 customers were without water Wednesday morning, WSSC Water spokeswoman Lyn Riggins said. Customers can sign up online for service updates. Water is not expected to be restored Wednesday morning, “We appreciate your patience while we work as quickly as possible to make the repairs,” WSSC tweeted just before  7 a.m.

More than 12 hours since the utility’s first word on the incident, workers were still attempting to isolate and replace the damaged pipe segment. The pipe cannot be cut out until the valves hold and the water is drained, WSSC said. The WTOP Traffic Center reports traffic is alternating on Clopper Road between Mateny Road and Waring Station Road while repairs continue. Drivers should expect delays in both directions and seek other routes if possible. The utility tweeted images of excavators digging into mud beneath a road late Tuesday to determine what types of repairs the broken 24-inch main would need. There is no estimated restoration time. “There is no quick fix when it comes to this type of large, buried infrastructure,” WSSC Water said, later adding that its crews were “working as quickly as possible in these challenging weather conditions to make repairs” as temperatures in the D.C. region plunged to near the freezing mark during the overnight hours.

The 24” water main repairs continue at Clopper Rd. The large pipe has been dug up and will be cut out and replaced at site of break as soon as water flow within the pipe can be completely stopped. This is often a challenge… getting valves to hold closed. pic.twitter.com/ZPu01VCJ91

— WSSC Water (@WSSCWaterNews) November 16, 2022

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