Crews work to resolve flooding of intersection in Riverwest neighborhood

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- In just a matter of minutes Monday evening, an intersection in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood turned into a small lake.

A spokesperson for Milwaukee Public Works said crews were doing scheduled valve maintenance at the intersection of N. Humboldt Blvd. and E. Concordia Ave. when something happened causing a "significant amount of water" to flood the roadway.

A supervisor on site said workers needed to test the area around the valve in order to find out what went wrong.

Gravel covered the southwest corner of the intersection. The Water Works supervisor said it was ground underneath the road that got blown out by the force of the water. Because of that, there was concern a sinkhole could possibly open up.

Byron Thompson, who lives a couple doors away from the intersection, said he was home at the time and got startled by vibrations.

"The house was really shaking, and it was like a vibrating. So, I was wondering what it was," Thompson said. "My dog was looking out the window, so I come to the window and see all this water out here."

Thompson said he then called his neighbor, Gabe Corn, who lives even closer to the flood site.

Both men said they were concerned about the ground around their homes being saturated by water and eventually having it seep into their basement.

The neighbors said their water was still running throughout the ordeal, but added they weren't comfortable consuming it.

"I don't know if I can drink it yet, but the water is still on," Corn said.

In its statement, the utility said crews won't be able to determine what caused the flood until after the water has receded.

A Water Works spokesperson added there is no impact to water quality or service. The utility added the water main has been taken out of service but added flooding could continue "for a while" as it drains.