Water main issue in Dorchester near Ashmont T station; Red Line service resumes with delays

There's an ongoing water main issue in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood Wednesday morning, at an intersection just feet from the Ashmont MBTA Station, that caused multiple water services to be impacted and delays during the morning commute.

The Boston Water and Sewer Commission first responded to the area Tuesday evening, saying they were controlling a leak on site and that repairs were underway for an elbow joint issue.

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Several inches of water rushed through the area, leading to flooding for some businesses and neighbors, power outages for others.

"We apologize for the inconvenience and expect [to] make repairs expeditiously," BWSC said on X.

City water officials say those who lost power due to this incident have had it restored, and by noon, everyone in the area should have water pressure fully restored.

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Neighbors and commuters say the whole ordeal has been quite an inconvenience.

"There was beeping from our units alarm system," said Koren Bernardi, who lives near Peabody Square. "When I came outside, there was flashing lights, lots of grounding noises."

Utility crews are still working to fix a water main issue roughly 100 feet from Bernardi's apartment after an elbow joint connecting two city water pipes became dislodged, leading to flooded roads and no water for more than 10 buildings holding residents and businesses.

According to Boston Water, discolored water -- which is sediment picked up from the pipe -- is safe to drink, but it is not recommended for washing clothes, as it may cause stains. If your water is rusty, run it cold until it's clear.

"We ask people just to run your water. You may not wanna wash clothes right away until the rust dissipates and it's gone. I would just wait, if you're gonna use your water drinking and stuff, just hold off until it becomes clear. Run your cold water until it become clear," said BWSC spokesperson Tom Bagley, adding that running your water is a process that could potentially take hours. Still it's needed to ensure that it is safe.

According to Bagley, this type of issue is usually caused by aging pipes -- but the affected pipe this time was installed nearly 30 years ago, which is relatively young compared to the other pipes in the city.

"National Grid was working in a trench right here and I'm not pointing the fingers but there's a possibility that could've been the cause," Bagley said.

The issue impacted train riders who had to use shuttle buses after Red Line subway service between Ashmont and JFK/UMass was suspended for hours starting Tuesday night.

The agency said they were working to restore the impacted Red Line service as soon as possible, however, Wednesday morning they said shuttle buses were continuing to replace service between Ashmont and JFK/UMass while the power department continues to work on issues related to the water main issue near the Ashmont Station.

Around 7:20 a.m., the MBTA said the power department had completed its repairs and service has resumed -- with delays between Ashmont and JFK/UMass.

Drivers also had several minutes added to their commutes as Ashmont Street was blocked off, and traffic was down to only one lane on Dorchester Avenue.

"Getting to the highway is impossible," Bernardi said. "It's always inconvenient to live in the middle of the city, but especially when they block off major intersections."

Although train service has been restored, the commute for drivers won't be any easier, as National Grid is still on scene actively working in a trench as they continue their work that may have led to this incident. NBC10 Boston has reached out to National Grid for clarification on that work and for how long they plan to occupy the area; we have yet to hear back.