CARMEL, Calif. -- Another water main break hits the Central Coast, leaving 200 customers with water on Thursday.
It happened at San Luis Avenue and Highway 1 in Carmel, the same area where a water main break happened last month.
Cal-Am said there's not a whole lot that can be done, and that these water main breaks are common.
That's because water infrastructure is underground, so it's hard to tell if there's a leak or a main break until it actually hits the surface.
Cal-Am serves 610 miles of main on the Monterey Peninsula.
The most vulnerable is in Seaside because of aging pipes and material, so Cal-Am is investing in a $14 million program to replace 10 miles of pipeline in the area.
Replacing the pipeline can be costly, about $400 per foot of pipe.
Water crews said the weather also plays a role in these main breaks, when there are cold snaps.
Cal-Am also has a leak detection program where it installs thousands of acoustic monitoring devices that allow crews to actually listen for leaks, but they don't always pick up everything.
If you see any signs of a main break, like a damp or wet spot on the street, or water running down the street, you should call Cal-Am at: 1-888-237-1333.
