Water leak spilling onto Shops at Sumner Place in Bethesda (Photos)

A significant amount of water was leaking onto the property of the Shops at Sumner Place shopping center on Sangamore Road in Bethesda around 9:00 PM last night. It was streaming down from the stand-alone bank building in the parking lot toward the CVS Pharmacy, and then down behind the CVS via the gutter.

Initially, the source was unclear. A Montgomery County Police officer passing through the shopping center on patrol stopped to investigate. Using the light cannon on the police cruiser, the source was pinpointed as the Sumner Village condominium/apartment property adjacent to Sumner Place (a.k.a. Little Falls Mall).

Water was pouring down a grass incline that leads downward from a fence between the two properties. Eventually, a truck with a tank on the back arrived near the CVS, and appeared to be vacuuming up some of the water. It was not known if this was a WSSC contractor, or a private contractor just trying to protect the shopping center property.

A check of WSSC service alerts turned up no report of a water main break near that location. If a leak is on private property, WSSC usually directs the property owner to call a plumber.