Santa Barbara neighborhood water main break sends burst of water flying high

A water main break caused a dramatic scene in a Santa Barbara neighborhood Friday afternoon.

Residents saw water shooting into the sky around 2 p.m. on Veronica Place off of Veronica Springs Road.

Rocks were sent flying and a crater-sized hole was left behind in the middle of the road with water bubbling out.

Crews with Santa Barbara City Public Works Water Resource Division say as dramatic as this looks it is actually pretty common and most likely due to old pipes. Still, it was a shocking scene for folks in the neighborhood.

The Santa Barbara City Water Department says an 8-inch pipe from 1966 broke and 18 customers were left without water as service was turned off to the area for a few hours.

Crews will remain on scene to resolve this issue, we are told it could take anywhere from four hours to all night.