A water main break in Roxbury sent water gushing down Hampden Street, forcing its closure for more than 17 hours until it was reopened late yesterday afternoon.
The episode is one of several water main breaks in the region this year that have raised frustrations from Gloucester to Norwood and resulted in soaked basements, flooded streets, and cut-off access to heat and drinking water.
Despite the recent incidents, Boston officials say water main breaks have actually declined to 37 this year compared with 47 last year, according to Tom Bagley, spokesman for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission.
He added that the water commission has an aggressive leak detection program that looks for possible breaches in pipes. In addition, the commission features a massive capital improvement program that is replacing aging, undersized, and deteriorating pipes.
But, he added, it is difficult to prevent water main breaks in Boston’s aging system, whose pipes at places are more than a century old.
Bagley said water main breaks occur for various reasons, including the pipes’ age, accidental puncture by construction work close to the pipes, and a lingering freeze that can constrict soil and cause pipes to burst.
“It seems that we’ve been getting more leaks during the cold,’’ said Bagley. “We’ve been having a lot of cold weather for the last few weeks. The temperatures have been below 30 degrees. It’s a possibility that the weather may have played a factor.’’
Investigators have not yet determined what caused the rupture of a 12-inch water main at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Hampden and Norfolk streets in Roxbury, near Melnea Cass Boulevard.
The pipe is about 100 years old, and there were no contractors working in the area at the time of the leak, which Bagley said caused no damage to businesses or homes on the street.
Crews worked through the night to repair the leak, and service was restored around 5 a.m. yesterday.
Rich Santos, who works at Max Ultimate Catering nearby, said he was cleaning in the basement of the Hampden Street catering business Thursday evening when one of the cooks notified him of water filling the streets.
“When I saw it, the water was coming out of the pipes,’’ he recalled. “There was about 3 feet of water, and it flooded the whole street.’’
Speaking with the Globe, Bagley highlighted a figure from the educational group, American Water Works Association, that the national average of main breaks per year is 250 per 1,000 miles of water main.
“We have 1,035 miles of water main in the city,’’ said Bagley. “We’re averaging 35 to 50 water main breaks per year. That’s a pretty good record.’’
Bagley said the commission replaces 17 miles of water, storm, and sewer pipes every year as part of its capital improvement program. The agency is planning replacement work of the Hampden Street pipe system in two years, he said.
Across the region, residents have been reeling from a string of water main breaks that have caused a host of woes.
Gloucester was hit with three massive leaks since last month, including one this week that cut off the water supply to about 70 percent of the city, forcing schools to close and residents to boil water.
Part of Lynn was left without power and water in November for 13 hours after a water main break opened a 10-by-20-foot sinkhole near 435 Lynnway. Authorities said the road required extensive repairs, including repaving the damaged sections that collapsed into the ground.
Norwood businesses operated without water after a leak in November shut down one lane on Route 1 and forced part of the road to collapse.
In early December, a water main break curbed water service on Newbury Street after a 12-inch main broke at the corner of Clarendon Street in Boston. Service was later restored.
In Chelsea, 200 people lost water service when a 16-inch pipe broke last week. Public Works officials said the 100-year-old pipe probably gave way because of age and not the cold.
No comments:
Post a Comment