A 12-inch water main split open on Chestnut Street just north of the railroad bridge at around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, causing significant road damage and forcing many area businesses to close for most of the day.
A crew began pumping water out of the hole — a task made more difficult by the storm — in order to assess the extent of the damage and possibly diagnose what caused the rupture.
Shane Mark, assistant director of public works, said they discovered a 7-foot stretch of cast-iron pipe had broken where two pipes join together, blowing off the top of the pipe. The crews sawed out and removed the broken section and replaced it with a new pipe. The fix, Mark said, should hold until the pipe is scheduled for replacement as part of the townwide storm drainage project.
This stretch of pipe, Mark said, was installed in the 1960s and is not currently slated for replacement in the five-year plan. “We are seeking funding for the comprehensive water distribution program,” he said, “which may reprioritize our pipe replacement schedule.” Currently, only the age of the pipe is considered when determining when it will be replaced. The study would consider many other factors such as breakage history.
The rain put a stop to road repairs Wednesday evening, but Mark said they would be back at work Thursday morning. “There’s a pretty good section that needs to be repaired,” he said. “We’ve got some cleanup to do and temporary pavement.” He said with pipe work like this, the trench needs to settle for four to six months before they make the final pavement repair.
Once the pipe was restored, Mark said they alerted affected businesses, and many were open by early evening.
Northbound Chestnut Street will be closed between High Rock and Oak streets until road cleanup and repairs are complete. The southbound lane remains open. Mark said he does not expect any issues going forward. “It’s routine from here on out.”
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