A leaking two million gallon water tank in Rochester forced residents to evacuate their homes today.
A Rochester resident reported hearing a crash or banging sound coming from a 90 foot water tank around noon Tuesday.
Water department crews saw water gushing from the bottom of the cylindrical tank.
Rochester police ordered nearby residents to evacuate and detoured traffic around the scene. City Engineer Peter Norson says that the tank doesn't appear to be in danger of collapsing.
“The structure doesn't appear to be compromised. The shell, if you will, no cracks or holes We think that the damage is underneath the tank, perhaps where the water actually enters. There's a pipe elbow there.”
Residents were expected to be allowed back in their homes later in the evening.
Emergency crews drained the tank to what Norson called a non-hazardous level.
He says there is an adequate supply in other tanks and reservoirs to handle the city's water needs.
