Published in the October 19, 2017 edition
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — The Board of Selectmen officially declared the water main break that occurred on Green Street on Oct. 10 an emergency repair even as they pressed DPW Director Richard Stinson for an explanation as to why the same main experienced two major breaks within the span of two years. The declaration of an emergency covers the DPW’s need to get contractors on site immediately to repair the break without putting the work out to bid.
The latest break occurred Tuesday morning, Oct. 10 around 1 a.m. Two years ago, the same water main let go further up on Green Street over Columbus day weekend, sending water cascading down Green Street from the Dillaway Street intersection damaging properties and the roadway. Last week’s break happened closer to Main Street. The latest break closed Main Street overnight and Green Street was closed for nearly two days while crews made repairs.
DPW Director Richard Stinson appeared before the Board of Selectmen Monday night along with Water Division Superintendent Steven Fitzpatrick to request the declaration of emergency repair.
Stinson explained that contractors had to be brought in because his department does not have the equipment needed to fix a break of the size that occurred last week. Stinson said that crews had the water shut off by 2 a.m. In all, nine homes were without water but water was restored to all homes by Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. He said that Main Street was reopened to two lanes of traffic by 8 a.m.
The break in the 16-inch main took out a section of the roadway. Stinson said that crews removed about 200 feet of the old water main and replaced it within about 19 hours. He said that within four days the binder was down on the affected section of Green Street and final paving could be done as soon as this week.
Stinson said that the cause of the break was unknown. He described different types of corrosion that can affect the pipe, and noted that manufacturing defects, ground movement and freezing and thawing could all be factors in causing the break. He also pointed to the possibility that blasting earlier this year in connection with the new Hallmark Health medical building at 888 Main St., as well as blasting in prior years for other nearby projects could have compromised the 90-year-old main.
Asked what the cost will be for the latest break, Stinson said that the break two years ago did more damage and that one cost $150,000 to fix. The price tag for the latest break should be lower he said, but he would have a better idea of the amount in a week or two.
Selectman Tony Longo asked Stinson how future such breaks could be prevented.
“We don’t have a lot of breaks,” the DPW Director said, but added that the town needs to have a replacement program for water mains and needs to fund such a program. “We go through the whole town every year doing leak detection and fix whatever we find,” Stinson said.
Selectman Edward Dombroski asked Stinson if he could understand why people lose confidence in the system after two major breaks in two years on the same street.
Stinson said that he could understand it, but reiterated that in order to properly address the issue, it takes funding.
Pressed as to the cause of the Green Street break, Stinson said there was “no way to pinpoint what caused it. If I could answer that, I’d be the richest person in the world because I’d be traveling all over the country.”
Selectman Ann Santos told Stinson, “It sounds like you’ve done everything you can within the means you have at this time.”
Selectman Mehreen Butt said it was “concerning” to hear that the cause was unknown.
“I’m not convinced that it’s not going to happen again,” she said. “I think Green Street needs to jump the line (for any replacement program).”
Dombroski asked if Green Street “jumped the line” after the break two years ago. Stinson said that it did not, because the report from that incident did not call for that kind of action.
Pressed further to name a cause of the break, Stinson said that his guess was probably the blasting in the area played a role, but there was no way to know for certain.
Fitzpatrick said that few towns go to the lengths that Wakefield does to try to determine why breaks happen, but added that it was impossible to know definitively because there are so many factors involved.
“We probably will never know,” Stinson said. “We wish it were that cut and dried.”
Longo asked if more frequent leak testing would help, but Stinson pointed out that this break did not seem to be caused by a leak.
The selectmen voted to declare the Green Street repair work an emergency and authorized the DPW to assist homeowners with exterior damage.
