Second water main break in under two weeks

The Town of Shelburne had its second water main break in less than two weeks last Friday morning, resulting in water pressure problems that forced schools and, in some cases, businesses to close their doors.

Mayor Ken Bennington reports that due to the “sudden drop in temperature, pressure release valves froze overnight.”  He said, “The Water-Sewer Lead Hand immediately called in crews to access the situation.”

Public Works sourced the break, which occurred around 6 am, to Simon Street where water could be seen bubbling up from under a residential driveway. The break caused the loss of water to two homes and low water pressure to the rest of town.

At 6:20 am the schools reported low water pressure and were faced with the decision to cancel a school day, according to regulation by 6:30 am. All schools in Shelburne were closed.

Once the valves were repaired, the Mayor said the water pressure was restored to the rest of Town around noon.  Repairs to the broken water main were completed around 8:30 pm Friday night and homes that were without water were back online.

Mayor Bennington told the Free Press, “Water main breaks, unfortunately, are a common occurrence in every municipality when the temperatures start to fluctuate. A report detailing the water main break that occurred on Oct 30th was on this week's Council agenda.

The Mayor said, “The water pressure issues of late are related to the water tower refurbish project only.” He stressed, “Because our water tower was empty for routine maintenance, homeowners were impacted when these types of breaks would normally be unnoticed.”

Town staff and work crews were on site from 6am until 10pm.  “The rest of Public Works staff were out clearing sidewalks and plowing the snow we received Thursday night,” said the Mayor.

“My solid thanks to our dedicated Town works staff, who chose to stay until the problem was resolved, leaving their warm dinners and loved ones waiting,” said Mayor Bennington. “You won't find more dedicated staff anywhere.”

The Town reports the water tower is scheduled to be filled and tested this week and maintenance on the tower should be complete by November 17th.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, better days are ahead,” said Mayor Bennington. He said once the water tower project is complete, residents should not experience any water related issues. “The Town of Shelburne has an abundant water supply to serve the Town's current needs and support growth into the next 20 years,” said the Mayor.