Water main break on Sydney’s lower north shore frustrates residents

Residents in 11 Sydney suburbs have been affected by a major problem that has left some unable to flush their toilets for days.

Sydneysiders living on the city’s lower north shore have complained they can’t flush their toilets after a break in a water main caused water to gush onto a major road.

Sydney Water said crews were working to fix the problem at Epping Rd, in Lane Cove, but cautioned the task might take some time.

“Network technicians are working to isolate the main which is taking some time due to the location and complexity of the break,” a statement said.

Hi @SydneyWaterNews can you please give an update on when the issue will be fixed at Mowbray Road and Epping Road - latest pictures here #lanecovepic.twitter.com/yJ0DF9cxeo

— In the Cove (@IntheCoveITC) September 10, 2022

Cars drive through water on Epping Road in Lane Cove after a water main caused traffic congestion. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

About 200 businesses, and residents in 11 suburbs, have experienced a loss of water pressure, Sydney Water said.

The 11 affected suburbs are home to more than 100,000 people, although it’s not known how many of them were affected by the water issue.

The utility first tweeted about the problem on Saturday, and locals have said they’ve been without water since then.

Businesses and residents on Sydney's north shore are into their third day of water outages, after a burst main went unrepaired since Saturday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

“It’s terribly frustrating,” Lane Cove North resident Anthony Esposito told ABC News. 

One person wrote on Twitter he had to collect water from the gushing main break to flush his toilet.

“Day 3 collecting water off the road to flush our toilet,” the man wrote on Monday morning.

Day 3 collecting water off the road to flush our toilet. pic.twitter.com/kWfWDd0fWb

— Paul (@AusEire1) September 12, 2022

Hundreds of people have been affected by the outage, which began on Saturday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Pictures from Epping Rd show cars ploughing through water. Transport authorities said one of the road’s eastbound lanes was closed as of noon on Monday.

The notification on the website Live Traffic NSW said the burst water main had affected traffic since 7am on Saturday.

Sydney Water said it was putting in place “alternative solutions” to boost water pressure while the problem was being fixed.

“We understand there has been a delay in rectifying the issue, but we are committed to finding a solution as quickly as we can in order to restore services to impacted properties,” the utility said in the statement.

“We acknowledge the impact this has had on our customers. We thank you for your patience and apologise for the inconvenience caused.”