VIDEO: Burst main shoots water into the sky

IT IS not known exactly how much water was lost during the five hours it took to repair the damage.

A DAMAGED 300mm water main sent large volumes of water shooting into the air at Ewingsdale yesterday.

Rous County Council chairman Keith Williams said an air valve, the only part of the pipe that sits above the ground, was struck by a slasher or ride-on mower about 11am.

He said the person who hit the valve reported the damage.

Mr Williams said Rous County Council crews were called to the site, on a Bay Vista Drive property.

They replaced the valve and flushed it out.

He said the main moves water to a reservoir that supplies Brunswick Heads and Ocean Shores, but domestic supply was not cut off at any time.

It's not clear how much water was lost in the almost five hours the pipe valve was damaged, but Mr Williams said it had a significant capacity.

"That's a big main," he said.

"It's a big pipe that carries a lot of pressure."

Mr Williams said he was pleased they were able to resolve the issue.

Nearby resident Susanna Evington said she first thought it was a fire when she saw the water blast in the distance.

"Then I realised it must be water, and an awful lot of it," she said.

Ms Evington captured a number of videos of the water spout.