Computer Glitch Floods Neighborhood

Event Year: 2009 Reliability: Confirmed
Country: United States
Industry Type: Water/Waste Water
Description:

A computer glitch caused pumps on the city’s water tank to fail to shut down when the tank was full.  The electronic equipment used to monitor the tank gave a false reading when the tank was full.  The pump produces 7,000 gallons per minute.  Tens of thousands of gallons of water, mud and rocks rushed through a Cedar Hills neighborhood.  The flood channel channel, built by the city, was clogged which caused water to go onto the lawn and driveway of the residential home affected.  The glitch may have been caused by a brief electrical storm the night before the flood.

Impact:

Tens of thousdands of gallons of water, mud and rocks streamed down a mountainside into the Cedar Hills neighborhood causing minimal damage to one home.