Nearly week-long water main leak leaves standing water, trash in Midtown neighborhood

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — An unusual and persistent flow of water through a typically dry Midtown wash left Tucson residents and business owners searching for answers last week, as a water main break sent water coursing underground for nearly a mile before surfacing near a busy commercial area.

Midway Wash, which runs beneath Speedway Boulevard through the parking lot of Zayna Mediterranean Restaurant and into the Garden District Neighborhood, usually sees water only during periods of rainfall. But with no measurable rain recorded in Tucson and temperatures soaring into record territory, the steady stream quickly drew attention.

“I first noticed the water on Thursday afternoon…” said Heather Smith, a community liaison for the restaurant.

Smith, who is accustomed to helping customers navigate monsoon flooding through the restaurant's parking lot each summer, said this situation stood out. “I think I visited on Tuesday morning and it was still here,” she said, noting the water continued flowing for days without a clear explanation.

With no immediate answers, Smith and Meg Johnson, secretary of the Garden District Neighborhood, began contacting city officials. “Nobody was able to give me really any answers, so then I was told that people were contacting the city and Tucson Water,” Smith said.

Initial speculation pointed to possible well drainage nearby, a well Tucson Water says it discharges water from occasionally. But the true cause was eventually traced farther southeast. “It was a water main that broke,” Johnson said. “It was in an unused park that was fenced. It was in an area with a whole bunch of weeds and shrubs and eucalyptus trees.”

Tucson Water confirmed in a statement to the city council that the break occurred in a park south of Rincon High School, where a tree root ruptured an underground pipe. The escaping water entered a storm drain system, traveling underground before emerging in the southern portion of Midway Wash.

“It was a significant water flow,” Johnson said. “We went to drive over to the well, and the storm drain pipes under the well were flowing strongly.”

While Tucson Water has since repaired the break, officials have not provided an estimate of how much water was lost or the cost of repairs. Water main breaks are not uncommon in older infrastructure systems, particularly in cities like Tucson where aging pipes and invasive tree roots can contribute to failures.

Though the water has stopped flowing, lingering impacts remain a concern for nearby residents and businesses. “Litter through the neighborhood, smells, the mosquitos, and I mean it really affects the businesses and residents that live nearby here,” Johnson said.

Leila Hudson, co-owner of Zayna Mediterranean Restaurant, worries the situation could worsen when monsoon rains return. “The entire area now knows what happens in the monsoon and other strong rains which is just disruptive in terms of the afterglow,” Hudson said. “And of course we do have an issue with people temporarily unhoused living in the wash.”

Residents say the incident highlights ongoing challenges with stormwater infrastructure in Midtown, as well as the need for continued maintenance and monitoring to prevent similar disruptions in the future.

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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.