Deep leak

A leak in the main water line had a work crew digging up 15 feet of ground on Bartlett Drive last week.

The Town got a report Wednesday evening of that there was water coming up from the ground, according to Town Manager Jeff Boland, who said the Public Works Dept. responded immediately. First thing Thursday morning heavy equipment and a crew were at the site digging.

“We weren’t sure where the leak was coming from, but we had to dig down to the main and expose it,” said Boland while the crew was still operating in the area. “The biggest concern is acting quickly before the ground starts to wash out. But this (leak) seems to be well-removed from the house and is close to the sidewalk.”

Out of town

The homeowners, Boland noted, were out of town and had someone dropping by to check on the property, who noticed the water.

“It’s a good idea to have someone check on your property if you are out of town on vacation or whatever, “ said the Town Manager. “But, say if they are only checking on it once a week for instance, a lot of damage could be done if there was a leak that went unnoticed for a four or five days.”

Boland remarked that some people that he knows makes it a point to shut off the water valve and turn off their hot water boilers before going on vacation, and he said it’s not a bad idea.

Who pays?

When it comes to leaks and breaks in water lines, it depends on where the problem lies that determines who will stand the cost of repairs.

The main line is the responsibility of the Town, Boland explained,

“If it’s on the homeowner’s side of the curb stop (the valve for shutting off water to the house) it’s the property owner’s responsibility,” he said. “And, if it’s from the curb stop out to the main, it’s the municipality’s responsibility.

Break in the main

As Hedley Tucker, operations manager with the Public Works Dept., peered into the fresh excavation that exposed the break, he made an assessment.

“Right now we are right down on the main line and it looks like it’s leaking off the main,” he said pointing to the area. “Yeah it seems to be a crack there, so hopefully in a few hours we will have it all straightened up.”

When the lines were installed years ago, Tucker noted, the normal depth was 12 to 15 feet in order to escape freezing in the cold Labrador winters.

And, from an early assessment, the leak had been going on for a while before it was detected.

“This house did get some water in it, so it appears it might have been leaking for a while and no one knew it,” said Tucker. “We’ll do the repair on the main line and fix up the service line going to his house, put in a new copper line for him.”

Few incidents

Water breaks have not been a big problem for the Town and given the age of the infrastructure both Boland and Tucker agree, they’ve been lucky with the low numbers of leaks they’ve dealt with over the years. But, when it does happen—it’s not just about digging a hole and repairing the line—it can get costly.