Spewing geyser created by broken water line near Hesperia shopping center
Thousands of residents were drawn to the sight of water spewing high into the air from a broken water line near a shopping center in Hesperia.
Many described the sight as a "geyser" or "water fountain," which created a rainbow.
Sometime after 2 p.m. Friday, San Bernardino County Fire personnel were called out to inspect the water geyser in an open field just east of Wendy’s restaurant in the Mojave Plaza near the Mojave River.
DG's Lawncare owner David Gross told the Daily Press that as the landscape contractor for the Mojave Plaza, the city of Hesperia requested weed abatement 10-feet east from the shopping center’s property.
“In the adjacent property, within the 10-foot buffer we created, there was a pipe that nobody knew about," Gross said. “While we were working, we clipped the top of a 2-inch galvanized pipe with a plug at the top.”
Gross said at first, he and “the city were perplexed” because they couldn't find any water meters spinning, indicating that water was flowing through a pipe.
“My irrigation meter was not spinning and none of the businesses lost water, so we weren't sure what the pipe was connected to,” Gross said. “Between the city, Oak Hills Nursery and Weed Abatement and myself, we couldn't find the source so we could turn it off."
At one point, an employee from the nursery, who was clearing the property, stopped the nearly 50-foot geyser by parking his tractor over the pipe, which continued to flood the undeveloped property.
Mystery solved
Later that day, it was discovered that the water line and cap were part of the fire suppression system for the shopping center.
“Nobody knows why the line and cap for a future fire hydrant were placed outside the fence line,” Gross said. “We also discovered that the water shutoff valve was located in the middle of Bear Valley Road.”
City workers closed a portion of Bear Valley Road to access the line, which was turned off.
“I removed and fixed the broken piece, and used a $10 cap on the riser,” Gross said. “I also painted it bright yellow so people would see it and hopefully not break it again.”
Drawing a crowd, creating a rainbow
The water geyser drew the attention of shoppers, gym members, commuters, and also residents in Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville.
Dozens of people stopped at the shopping center to take photos and video of the spouting water, which created a rainbow.
“Hey! Are you giving out free car washes?” shouted one man as he drove by the scene. “That’s totally crazy.”
Tina Adams, a mother of three, told the Daily Press that her children wanted to play in the water.
“It looked like a fountain you’d see in a major city like Las Vegas,” Adam said. “It was cool to watch.”
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Spewing geyser created by broken water line in Hesperia
