Mike Schanck signed the agreement selling his family's house at 1036 Bellaire Ave. in Brookline earlier this month. The closing is scheduled for Aug. 10.

	Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette
	Marc Schanck walks through his brother's house after the carpeting was taken out of the dinning room following yesterday's water main break. Marc's brother , Mike Schanck, were planning on closing on the sale of the house Monday. Click photo for larger image.
	KDKA-TV 2
	Television view of yesterday's water main break in Brookline in which the water shot nearly 100 feet into the air. Click photo for larger image.

But that was before a broken water main created a geyser behind his back yard yesterday just after 8 a.m.

"The next thing you know, we've got water shooting up over the house, over the trees," he lamented from the muddy sidewalk out front. "It was not only water, it was throwing rocks and bricks.

"I called my real estate agent as soon as I saw the damage. I told him, 'I figured I should call you as soon as possible because this might change everything.'"

The waterspout erupted when a contractor digging to detect gas leaks beneath Fitch Way, an unpaved alley between Bellaire Avenue and Brookline Boulevard, ruptured a 24-inch main belonging to Pennsylvania American Water Co. The geyser that resulted ran for more than an hour and damaged two homes on Bellaire as well as almost a dozen homes lining Starkamp Street down the hill.

While disaster relief crews were tearing out soaked carpets and replacing damaged water heaters, Philip J. Cynar, spokesman for Pennsylvania American Water, stepped up to take responsibility.

"The onus for this accident falls on us, as the main was not properly marked," Mr. Cynar said in a statement. "In a right of way, the main was not easily detected and was overlooked."

Mr. Cynar said the pipe that was hit was a transmission main, so no customers' service was disrupted.

It was the latest in a number of incidents for Pennsylvania American Water Co., which provides water to a half-million customers in the region.

Last month, two light-rail stops on the Library line were shut down when a 12-inch main broke at Clifton and Library roads in Bethel Park. About 200 customers were without water for several hours.

In December, Pennsylvania American had so many water main breaks throughout the Mon Valley that the state Public Utility Commission launched an investigation. A report last month recommended corrective actions ranging from more staffing to better contact with affected customers.

Mr. Cynar said the troubles aren't limited to Pennsylvania American.

"I wouldn't say we've had more than our fair share," he said. "Naturally, the end of last year was somewhat rocky ... which sort of set the tone for a degree of negative perception, but we've worked through all of that. We've identified areas where there are weaknesses and needs for improvement, and we're addressing those in terms of infrastructure and replacements. That's very much on track.

"Every water utility every day deals with main breaks. It's just that some make the paper and the TV newscasts, and some don't."

There was a reason why the water main break in Brookline was newsworthy. The towering spray could be seen from Brookline Boulevard, where public works crews set up barricades to reroute traffic. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl even dropped by with members of his staff to look in on the neighborhood.

As astounding as the geyser, however, was the damage that the torrent of water did as it ran downhill through basements, driveways and landscaped yards.

"Fortunately, this is an older home, built strong," said Mr. Schanck, 30, a firefighter who was on duty in Homewood when the accident occurred. "But I've got six inches of water in the basement. The kitchen's trashed. I had water coming over my deck and in through my back door. The light fixtures in the roof were dripping on the second floor and the third floor."

The other house that took the brunt of the damage belongs to his neighbors, Ray and Patti Piaggesi, at 1034 Bellaire Ave.

"You could not believe the water that was coming over the house," said Mr. Piaggesi, 58, a territory coordinator for Pepsi. He was working in Lawrenceville when he got a call from Mr. Schanck.

Mrs. Piaggesi, 57, a teller for National City Bank, said she had to be restrained by police when she rushed home to try to protect her valuables.

"The response was wonderful," she said of the emergency crews that came to the scene. "The firemen went in to make sure the power was off, and they brought out my wedding pictures.

"I'm laughing now, but when I first got here, I couldn't stop crying."