WEST HARLEM — A huge column of water sprayed up from West 125th Street Tuesday morning after a water main's valve broke during regular maintenance, witnesses and officials said.
The crews were working on the 20-inch main running below West 125th Street, near Broadway, at about 9 a.m., when one worker accidentally broke a valve that is used to control the flow of water, a Department of Environmental Protection spokesman said.
Water was still shooting up from the street more than an hour later, witnesses said.
"Guess I can cancel my trip to Wyoming," Instagram user @douglaswray posted about 10:15 a.m. along with a photo of the urban geyser.
The flow of water was shut off about 10:45 a.m. and crews began working to mend the break.
The Department of Sanitation dispatched a salt truck to help with icy conditions created by the spray of water, a spokeswoman said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the valve to break, the DEP said.
The break did not immediately cause any customers to lose water, the DEP said.