Tricky Water Valve Is No Treat for Hundreds

San Diego city school officials thought Halloween mischief makers had turned off the water at Point Loma High School. But the problem turned out to be a faulty water valve that knocked out water to hundreds of homes and businesses in Point Loma, Loma Portal and parts of Old Town and Mission Hills.

The district received its first call at 6 a.m. Thursday from high school custodian Mike Quesenberry, the district’s maintenance supervisor said. When the second call came from Loma Portal Elementary, officials realized it wasn’t a mere prank and called the city Water Utilities Department.

On Wednesday, city workers had shut off a valve for routine repairs in the Sports Arena area near Hancock and Houston streets, water department spokesman Kurt Kidman said. Workers thought they had reopened the valve but it malfunctioned and stayed closed, he said. Two secondary valves also were closed.

The department sent out four water wagons to give residents a temporary supply and, by 12:30 p.m., workers had opened the backup valves, releasing water to the affected areas, Kidman said.

Meanwhile, school officials were scrambling to get sufficient supplies for drinking water, student lunches and toilets.

At Point Loma High School, which has more than 2,000 students and staff, Principal Barbara Brooks sent aides to a nearby store to buy 2,000 premoistened hand towels and 25 gallons of bottled water to tide the school over until a water truck arrived from the district.

The district sent 60 gallons of water in 5-gallon bottles, six portable toilets and a water truck for manual flushing, Quesenberry said. Supplies were also sent to the 500 students and staff members at the elementary school, he said.

Point Loma students took the outage in stride, Brooks said: “They were all hoping to go home.”