RIDGWAY — A water main break on West Main Street in Ridgway caused many area residents to experience problems with their water service on Wednesday.
Ridgway Borough Manager Paul McCurdy said a 12-inch water main broke under West Main Street between Penn Avenue and Montmorenci Road.
The break caused damage to the roadway as the pressure fractured the middle of the road and bowed the outside of the westbound lane. Large chunks of pavement could be seen in the middle of a hole in the pavement as the pressure from the water broke the middle of the road into several chunks.
McCurdy said Wednesday’s break may have been a case of bad luck for the borough.
He said pipes often break due to shifts in the ground as a result of changes in temperature or moisture levels in the ground, however this time, the break is likely due to pipe age and bad luck.
Traffic was limited to one lane as the borough’s road crew cut into the roadway to find the problem.
McCurdy said Wednesday morning that workers would be on scene until the problem was resolved, which he hoped would occur sometime Wednesday evening.
As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, workers were still working to fix the issue.
On Wednesday morning, McCurdy said he hoped that workers could shut off a valve to the broken pipe and rely upon a second 12-inch water main to temporarily deliver water throughout the borough.
McCurdy said Ridgway residents can expect discolored water, low water pressure and temporary disruption of service while the issue is investigated.
As the borough had a sudden loss of pressure in its system, a boil water advisory was put into place for the borough and township.
The advisory is expected to last at least two days and will only be lifted after the borough fixes the problem and has two samples tested and determined to be safe.
When a water line breaks, there is the potential for contaminants to enter into the system.
McCurdy said it was hard to determine which customers would be impacted and which would not, so officials erred on the side of caution and put a boil water advisory in place for all consumers.
As required, McCurdy said the borough has notified the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) about the issue.
The borough’s Swift911 system was used to inform residents about the boil water advisory and will be used to notify residents when the advisory has been lifted.
Unfortunately for the borough, the water main broke under a freshly paved stretch of road.
McCurdy said the borough will be responsible for paving the road to PennDOT’s specifications.
