Main break leaves tenants without water for days
No showers. No working toilets. No drinking water. No running water of any kind.
“I feel disgusting,” said John Malizia, 30. “I haven’t brushed my teeth. My breath stinks. It’s pretty unacceptable.”
Malizia spoke Monday outside the Springhouse apartments in Pleasanton, a 354-unit complex where residents pay a high price for modern touches and a location near Oracle and other corporate campuses — but haven’t had water service
“This is a terrible situation, and it’s causing a lot of frustration for everyone. Obviously there’s going to have to be compensation.”
Tom Coates, owner of the Springhouse complex
since Friday.
That’s when a water main broke under one of the buildings, prompting residents to begin coming up with creative ways to shower, go to the bathroom, brush their teeth and obtain clean drinking water.
“It’s not easy to deal with this,” said another resident, who asked only to be identified by his first name of Michael. “You really find out how many things you need water for.”
The complex has a swimming pool, fitness center and playground. “Open the door to a better way of living,” reads the company’s website.
But on Monday, Michael and his wife said they had been forced to rent a hotel room nearby to take showers. To flush their toilet, they — like many others — hauled buckets of water from the pool.
The owner of the complex, Tom Coates, said he shared in the residents’ frustration. He said no one would be charged rent for the dry period — which will extend at least through 5 p.m. Tuesday as the water line is replaced.
“In the apartment business,” Coates said, “this is a semi-disaster.”
Tenants were first alerted to the broken pipe Friday after managers posted a pink flyer on doors reading, in part, “Please be advised that the main water line is broken and is under repair. We are working to restore water to the apartment homes as quickly as possible.”
On Sunday, a similar note was posted. By Monday, residents’ aggravation was building when a third letter said, “Unfortunately we do not have an
estimated time for completion.”
Owen Nattrass, 41, lives at Springhouse with his 3-year-old daughter and wife. His parents live close by, so the family has been using their shower and bathroom.
“Everybody wants running water,” he said. “It’s kind of like camping, only not as much fun.”
The manager of the complex hung up several times when reached Monday by The Chronicle. Coates, though, said he was doing everything possible to get the water turned back on.
“This is a terrible situation, and it’s causing a lot of frustration for everyone,” he said. “Obviously there’s going to have to be compensation to our residents.”
Portable toilets and wash basins were brought in Monday, providing a small amount of relief to residents, especially those who hadn’t figured out the pool water trick.
“What was left in our toilet has been there two days,” Malizia said.
Aplumber working on the project said the water pipe running under one of the central buildings in the complex had corroded and was leaking.
Several potential fixes were explored, said Coates, before contractors concluded that the entire line needed to be replaced.
“I’d feel absolutely outraged. All I can say is we’re going to get it on as quickly as possible,” he said. “We’re doing everything that we can and spending whatever needs to be spent. We’re going as fast as we can.”