Water Main Breaks

Water Break Timeline

A resident, police or indications at the water facility will notice and notify of loss of water.
Crews are dispatched to access and shut valves to stop water loss. Depending on valve locations, the affected area of water outage can be small or large.
The Department of Public Works (DPW) notifies affected residents through the Swift911 phone system.
DigSafe is called to mark out any potential electrical, gas, etc. that may affect excavation.
Crews dig to find the exact failure of the water pipe.
Repairs are made to the pipe. Depending on location, underground conditions, other services and type of pipe issue; repairs can be short or long.
Repairs are tested by charging the pipe with water.
Excavation site is filled and various hydrants are flushed to purge any air.

After Effects of a Water Main Break

When a water break is fixed, there often will be discoloration and air in the resident's water. This is an unavoidable side effect of the repair. It should not be a concern for health, but is only aesthetically displeasing. Crews will try to alleviate those issues by flushing hydrants in the area. Residents can also run faucets in their homes to purge air remove sediment.

Water breaks are unavoidable and disruptive occurrences that happen many times a year. This is an inconvenience for residents and business owners, but the DPW strives to repair in a timely and safe way.

FAQs

What are water main breaks?

Water breaks are failures of distribution pipes that occur at any time without warning. They happen when cracks form or sections of the pipe blow out with huge amounts of water loss and pressure, affecting residents.

What kind of distribution pipes are there?

Old Water Main with Heavy Tuberculation Water distribution mains range from sizes of 16 inches to 4 inches. They are typically constructed of iron; either lined or unlined.

Unlined pipe was the usual type of water main installed pre 1950s. Although strong, iron will rust and form tuberculation (seen in picture). Tuberculation will get so thick that it will restrict water flow and weaken the pipe. There are still sections of Amesbury with cast iron pipe serving the distribution system over a hundred years old. These are the common types of water breaks,
Lined pipes are a stronger version of cast iron called ductile. Ductile lined pipes are lined inside with a thin layer of cement to prevent corrosion. The outside is coated with an asphalt product to protect it. Ductile iron pipe is the standard pipe installed today.

Why do water breaks occur?

Due to the age of old unlined cast iron pipe, it is only a matter of time before a crack forms or a weakened section gives out. Pressure in the distribution system varies greatly which leads to more water breaks in those areas. Ductile iron pipes are not foolproof either. Due to inherent flaws in the pipe or bad underground conditions where the pipe is installed; these pipes can fail too.

When do water breaks occur?

Water breaks happen at any time and seem to inconveniently happen on off hours and holidays. There are no warning sign, which unfortunately means there can’t much notification beforehand.

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Water Main Breaks

Water Break Timeline

After Effects of a Water Main Break

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