LEWISTON — It was a little past 7 a.m. Sunday when John Boccia saw the water start to rush down the street past his home at 6 Diamond Court. It just kept going.

“I asked myself when this was going to stop,” said Boccia, whose home sits at a low point in the neighborhood. “I have a trailer and that was underwater and that’s because everyone’s water in Lewiston pooled here.”

Boccia was one of the many Lewiston residents affected by a water main break Sunday at the intersection of Orange Street and Diamond Court. Water service was cut off to nearby areas for most of day, and a boil water order was in place for large parts of the city until Monday afternoon.

‘THAT’S GONE’

But while most residents were only inconvenienced, Boccia and other residents near the site of the water main break are dealing with much more.

“Everyone else lost water for the day,” he said. “We lost our house.”

At one point, Boccia said Monday as he sifted through his belongings, the water outside his house reached hip height. It warped a newly poured driveway, he said, and after some time, the water started pressing on the windows of his basement, ultimately breaking the windows and flooding the home’s basement.

“We had a brand new furnace down there and now that’s gone,” Boccia said.

The flooding also ruined a new family room that was being built.

“The water came up underneath and all the floors were insulated. All the insulation is shot, all the wood is shot,” Boccia said. “Wood from the roof was floating around in the backyard. It ripped our fence down. Everything got destroyed.”

Worst of all, Boccia said, is that he and his wife, Kelly, lost a lot of memorable items that were stored in the basement.

“We have hundreds of tubs down there full of water with stuff down there that meant a lot to us,” said Boccia. “I haven’t looked through everything but it’s upsetting. It’s a lot. I’m still trying to process what happened. We’ve never had a water problem like this here ever.”

THE CITY’S RESPONSE

The cause of the main break is under investigation, Angelynne Amores, spokesperson for the city, said Monday.

Water main breaks are not unusual in Maine this time of year. As the ground thaws, it can put tremendous pressure on pipes, particularly following a cold winter.

South Paris has dealt with a series of water main breaks over the last week. On Monday morning, a pipe burst in Westbrook, closing down Main Street. Last month, Falmouth and the Portland islands also dealt with water main breaks.

In Lewiston on Sunday, the pipe broke first thing in the morning.

Boccia said he called 911 at 7:11 a.m. and told the dispatcher that the “the street is lifting up over here and the fire department is needed.”

When no one showed up, Boccia said he called back 30 minutes later and was told that the city was starting to get people to come to the scene.

It wasn’t the only break workers were dealing with. Lewiston Public Works at 7:20 a.m. received reports of more than 10 breaks across the system, Amores said. Workers were on the scene at Orange Street by 8:05 and had turned the water off by 8:30.

Meanwhile, city workers checked on the affected homes.

“During the situation, Lewiston Fire Department went door-to-door in the neighborhood checking in with residents while Lewiston Public Works crews took additional steps to help homeowners stabilize conditions at their property while responding to the broader emergency response,” Amores said.

Boccia isn’t the only one who was frustrated about the city’s response. Some Lewiston residents took to Facebook to criticize the city’s map of the area affected by the boil water order, saying it was hard to find their home on both the map and a list of addresses.

“When the city first issued the boil water advisory, the map was the fastest and most effective way to show the scope of the impacted area, which spanned nearly 450 streets,” Amores said. “A written street list followed as crews continued repairing the break and staff worked to confirm affected locations in real time.

“Those efforts were happening simultaneously while crews were in an active infrastructure emergency. Even as crews worked to repair the break and confirm impacted locations, the city continued sharing updates through text alerts, notification emails, website updates, media outreach and out of an abundance of caution, we decided to extend to a citywide boil water order.”

Mayor Carl Sheline said he had heard the criticism as well.

“I received a lot of feedback yesterday and I don’t think that there’s any confusion that the map provided left a lot to be desired,” he said. “We learned some lessons regarding emergency communications and after a thorough staff debrief, I’m sure there will be changes and improvements.”

HELPING OUT

As Boccia was picking up around his house Monday, he got a visit from Bruce Ritchie, a longtime Auburn resident who knew just what his friend was going through.

On Dec. 18, 2024, more than a foot of water entered Ritchie’s home when the Androscoggin River rose over its banks.

Ritchie says he understands what Boccia and his wife are going through, and wants to give them all the support they need.

“When I got flooded out, I had all kinds of family and friends come over and help me, and I want to pay it forward,” said Ritchie.

Having your house flood is an overwhelming experience, he said.

“I lived it, and I survived it,” said Ritchie. “I want them to know there’s always help no matter where, and no matter what, the community is behind them.”