Water main breaks hit Barton Hills  

Tuesday was a particularly busy day for Austin Water crews operating in South Austin. Residents of Barton Hills who were awake at 4 a.m. may have noticed low or no water pressure. Austin Water spokesperson Erik Luna said via email, “Early this morning, Austin Water responded to a 16 (inch) water main break which occurred near the intersection of Barton Hills Drive and Homedale Drive.  Customers in the affected area will be experiencing interruptions to their water service or fluctuations in water pressure while repairs are underway.” Repair workers were looking for the leak underground on the street adjacent to Barton Hills Elementary School. Since the water was shut off at the school, Austin Water had delivered bottled water and portable toilets, according to one worker. Later in the day, water was restored to the surrounding neighborhood. However, another leak developed along Barton Hills Drive, necessitating more repairs and a second shutoff of water to residents in the area. Austin Water estimated the final repairs would be done Tuesday evening. On its outage website, Austin Water said it had 10 leaks pending repair.