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A six-inch water main pipe ruptured at about 4 a.m. near the intersection of Bush and Jones streets, dumping a reported foot-deep river of water, sand and dirt on to the surface of Jones Street for several minutes before crews were able to shut off service, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission spokesman Tony Winnicker said.
>> SLIDESHOW: SF water main break
A few dozen customers in the immediate area will continue to go without water this morning while crews work over the next several hours to replace the broken section of pipe, Winnicker said.
Investigators will not know exactly what caused the rupture until the broken main is analyzed, Winnicker said, adding that this segment of the city's many miles of subterranean water infrastructure most likely succumbed to old age.
The volume of water and debris that escaped before crews shut down the source had not yet been estimated, Winnicker said.
A block of Jones Street is closed between Bush and Pine streets, as is the far left lane of Bush Street heading downtown due to a large pile of mud and dirt still being cleaned up at 7 a.m.
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