Major water main break diverts traffic on Portola Avenue

The Coachella Valley Water District is working to repair a water main that broke on Portola Avenue across from The Living Desert at about 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Traffic is being diverted in the area because of water flowing into the street. Buckboard Trail is closed in both directions.

Heather Engel, with the Coachella Valley Water District, said water had to be shut off to The Living Desert for about 20 to 30 minutes. Officials with The Living Desert said they were fine during the outage.

Engel said the break happened to an old, plastic line, and in these cases it’s usually caused by age finally taking its toll. She said water pressure from the leak caused the concrete to push up a couple of inches.

No other homes or businesses were without water, according to the CVWD.

Engel had no estimated time for when Buckboard Trail would reopen. For the time being, you should avoid the area or take an alternate route if your driving in the area.