A water main break in the 800 block of North Main Street Saturday afternoon sent a torrent of water gushing downhill, briefly cutting water service in the area. See video at www.youtube.com
A Culpeper town police officer at the scene said a caller reported that “water was running” on North Main at Sycamore Street around 2:15 p.m.
Nearby homes and businesses were without water until workers could close valves to stop the leak. Public Works Director Bobby Thornhill said the leak caused the elevated storage tank off Belle Avenue to drain, causing a loss of water pressure.
Officials estimate as much as 300,000 gallons of water drained from the tank, which is capable of holding 500,000 gallons.
The storage tank creates water pressure in the system.
Gary Wise, the town’s public works superintendent, said at the scene that it was not immediately clear what may have caused the 8-inch water line to burst. The pipe is buried several feet underneath the sidewalk on the southbound shoulder of the road.
“It was supposed to be replaced when they do the (road) widening,” Wise said, referring to pending transportation plans to expand the roadway. The water caused a section of the concrete sidewalk to collapse and sent rocks and mud downhill into the street. Wise estimated the broken cast iron pipe might be about 50 years old.
The break came at mid-day during one of the hottest days of the year so far, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.
Officials asked town residents to conserve water for the rest of the day as they worked to resolve the situation.
Crews used a large truck mounted pump to drain the sinkhole that formed. Southbound traffic on North Main Street between Sycamore Street and Fairview Ave was detoured while crews repaired the broken pipe.
Town spokesman Wally Bunker said the repairs were completed just before 6 p.m. Officials did not have an estimate of the number of customers affected by the break late Saturday.
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