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CommunityWater main ruptures for third time in California neighborhood
Friday, Oct. 3, 2008
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Road reconstruction and resurfacing has been under way on MacArthur Boulevard in California after a water main broke twice earlier in the year. On Sunday morning, the water main broke for a third time and about 100,000 gallons of water once again disfigured the road that serves a shopping center and the San Souci neighborhood.
‘‘We are investigating the cause to determine if there is a link between this break and the ones that occurred in May and August,” said Steve King, director of the water utility, the St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission.
‘‘Obviously, to have three leaks occur in such close proximity and within such a short period of time concerns us that there may be some common denominator,” he said.
Construction of the water system along MacArthur Boulevard started in 1986 and 1987, and there are far older systems in MetCom’s inventory.
‘‘It’s just 25 years old and the pipe might not be suitable,” said MetCom Deputy Director Dan Ichniowski.
The three breaks all occurred at different parts of the pipe, though along a small section of the road. A patch was put on the road, but with the surging water Sunday, ‘‘it came and washed it all out,” he said.
About $75,000 has been spent so far for repairs and it’s going to cost more now.
‘‘It’ll all be MetCom’s responsibility,” said George Erichsen, director of the St. Mary’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation.
‘‘We recognize that,” Ichniowski said.
The water system in the area is looped and so a when breaks happen, they can be valved off to keep water service going. When more water lines are installed down Chancellor’s Run Road with the expansion project there, the loop will be expanded even more, Erichsen said.
But at MacArthur Boulevard, ‘‘it’s one of those things that kind of just pop up from time to time,” he said.
