A sinkhole behind Macedonia Commons grew large enough to threaten a power transformer, cutting electricity to half the plaza
Four separate water main breaks struck the Nordonia Hills area within five days this month, based on Macedonia Police Department alerts, a Sagamore Hills Police report, a Nordonia High School announcement and a firsthand account from a business owner whose shop sits behind Macedonia Commons. The run of breaks left residents and businesses without water and power more than once in the same week, and even threatened to derail a school dance.
The first break closes Twinsburg schools
The first break happened late on September 17 on Solon Road in Bedford Heights, near the Interstate 271 overpass. Cleveland Water identified the break as a 12 inch main and closed the road while crews worked through the night.
Because a sudden loss of pressure can allow contaminants into a water system, Macedonia Police sent a Nixle alert the next morning notifying residents of a boil advisory covering Macedonia and Northfield. Twinsburg City Schools closed for the day because of significant water pressure loss in district buildings, and the advisory was lifted later that day once testing showed no contamination.
A second break follows hours after a football game, and threatens homecoming
A football game was played at the high school Friday night, and just hours later, Macedonia Police issued another alert early Saturday morning reporting South Bedford Road closed from Highland Road to the north entrance of the high school due to a separate water main break.
The timing meant a stadium full of fans had cleared out only hours before crews found a second break within walking distance of the same building. It also put the school’s homecoming dance, scheduled for that same Saturday night, in question.
Nordonia High School posted an update Saturday afternoon confirming the dance would go on. “DANCE IS ON! TRAFFIC PATTERN CHANGE. As you may or may not know, there is a water line break just South of Nordonia High School impacting S Bedford Rd,” the school wrote. “After much collaboration and safety inspections, the break has been isolated while still allowing us to maintain water service in the High School. As a result, we will be able to hold the Homecoming Dance tonight as scheduled. Students will need to enter and exit the High School from the NORTH DRIVE ONLY as the roadway from the High School south toward South Bedford Road will remain closed.”
A sinkhole grows behind Macedonia Commons
A third break opened up behind Macedonia Commons on Sunday, September 20. David Riedel, who owns PostNet in the plaza, gave a detailed account of what he found.
“I came into the shop on Sunday even though we are closed to catch up on some paperwork. I noticed the cut thru driveway was closed behind PetSmart,” Riedel said. He drove around Walmart to reach the back of his shop instead. “I saw that there was about a 6 foot deep by 10 foot wide hole in the pavement next to an electricity power transformer, which looked like it was starting to fall into the sinkhole.”
By Monday, the hole had grown considerably. “The hole was twice as big as water crews were attempting to get down to the break,” Riedel said. “Evidently the waterline is between 10 and 22 feet deep in that area and they didn’t have a large enough backhoe to dig that deep.” Water service to the plaza was cut for about an hour Monday while crews worked.
The bigger disruption came a day later. “When I came into the shop on Tuesday, I found out that the water department called the electric company to let them know about the power transformer potentially falling into the sinkhole,” Riedel said. “The electric company immediately cut all of the power to half of Macedonia Commons.” Power stayed off for most businesses on that side of the plaza until roughly midafternoon, with tenants reporting service returning somewhere between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.
As of Riedel’s account, the transformer had not been fully stabilized. “The transformer is being held up in the air by a large crane so that they could turn the power back on to the businesses,” Riedel said. “It is still like that right now.”
A fourth break hits Sagamore Hills
The next day, Monday, September 21, the Sagamore Hills Police Department reported yet another main break, this one at Eaton Drive and Steep Rock Drive in the Eaton Estates development. Cleveland Water was called to the scene, and police asked residents to use caution while repairs got underway.
Why breaks tend to cluster together
Engineers point to a mechanism that helps explain why breaks can follow each other quickly across a connected system. When a main ruptures and crews shut valves to isolate it, the sudden change in flow sends a pressure wave through the network, a phenomenon known as water hammer. That wave searches for the weakest point in the system, and in an older network already stressed by corrosion or ground movement, the next weak point can fail within days.
Cleveland Water, which serves the Nordonia Hills area, addresses an average of five main breaks a day systemwide, with annual totals ranging from 1,669 breaks in 2023 to 2,112 breaks in 2021. The utility spends roughly 30 million dollars a year replacing aging mains as part of a long term repair plan.
What residents and business owners can do
Anyone who notices cloudy or discolored water after a nearby break can run cold water fixtures for a few minutes to help clear it. Business owners near Macedonia Commons who lost power or water during that stretch and have not reported it to the city or Cleveland Water may want to do so, particularly while the transformer situation behind the plaza remains unresolved.
FAQs
Q: Did the water main break cancel homecoming?
A: No. Nordonia High School announced the dance would go on as scheduled, with students entering and exiting through the north drive only while the road south toward South Bedford Road stayed closed.
Q: What caused the power outage at Macedonia Commons?
A: A sinkhole from a water main break grew large enough to destabilize a nearby power transformer. The water department alerted the electric company, which cut power to half the plaza as a precaution.
Q: How long were businesses without power?
A: Tenants reported power returning sometime between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, after going out the day before.
Q: Is the transformer situation resolved?
A: As of the most recent account from a plaza tenant, the transformer was still being held up by a crane while repairs continued.
Q: How deep is the waterline behind Macedonia Commons?
A: According to PostNet owner David Riedel, crews said the line runs between 10 and 22 feet deep in that area, deeper than their initial equipment could reach.
