South Bay

Sunnyvale Water Leak Cleared Using Underground Explosives

The city of Sunnyvale used underground explosives Tuesday to cap a well that had been leaking thousands of gallons of water, causing a lane closure on Tasman Drive.

“When it’s full, they’re gonna ignite the explosives … to increase the chances of sealing off the flow of water permanently,” said Bill Cameron, supervisor at Santa Clara Valley Water District.

Local businesses and neighbors had complained about the leak, which caused flooding for months and impacted traffic. The city eventually found the leak coming from an abandoned irrigation well. The well was built when the main industry in Silicon Valley was agriculture.

On Tuesday, both the leak and traffic were cleared.

“We’re all happy it’s getting done today, and we can move on with an open road,” said Jennifer Garnett, city spokeswoman.

Contact Us