By Sara Hall | NB Indy
Four water mains broke over the weekend in the Newport Heights area, leaving some residents without water until midday. Tuesday.
The first rupture occurred Sunday morning around midnight near St. James Road and Clay Street, said George Murdoch, utilities manager for Newport Beach. Several residents called in to report the break, Murdoch said.
“It’s not unusual for this time of year, during the (first) cold snap, the first cold part of the season,” Murdoch said.
When it’s cold and rainy people don’t use as much water, Murdoch said, they’re not washing their cars or turning on their sprinklers. Under these conditions, pressure in the water mains ticks up to the high normal level.
The first break was somewhat random, Murdoch explained, while the other three are suspected to have occurred in response to the surge caused from the first break.
Vernona Kay Fath, who was affected by the break on St. James Road, said the water flooded the street and went into her garage. There were about two inches of water at the foot of her porch, she said.
“It was one heckuva big mess,” said Fath. “The had to dig right in front of our driveway to get at it.”
Fath and her husband could not get their cars out while the repairs were going on, and the workers had to cover the hole with heavy steel plates, pending final street repairs, to give the couple use of their driveway and garage.
“I’m glad we have the utility people we have,” Fath added, “because they were wonderful. They swept the driveway, and they also brought us some dirt for the planter that had been washed out.”
About 1.2 million gallons of water spilled out through the four combined breaks, Murdoch said.
The last repairs were made by early Monday, Murdoch said, and water was back on to all the residents in the area by 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The crews then turned to cleaning and patching up the streets, he said.
The cause of the break is still being investigated, Murdoch said, and can take up to several weeks to determine.
The pipes aren’t steel so they are not subject to expansion, Murdoch said. They are 8-inch, asbestos cement pipes installed in 1963. This type of pipe is no longer made, but it is in good shape and can last for a long time, he added.
“It’s not necessarily because they’re old pipes,” Murdoch said.
There is nothing residents can do to prevent it, he said, but he does encourage residents to keep an eye out for broken pipes though and to call the utilities department at 644-3011 or the police at 644-3681.
“When in doubt, especially after hours, call the police,” Murdoch said. “ Crews typically get to (the scene) within 15 minutes.”
He does not recommend residents leave the faucet dripping because the pipes don’t freeze in the Newport Beach area and it wastes water.
“If residents keep their eyes open and look for these things the sooner we can get there and repair the breaks before there’s too much damage,” Murdoch said. “Their our eyes and ears out there.”
