HARDWICK – A water leak under South Main Street, near its intersection with Mill and North Main Streets, last Wednesday caused some downtown businesses to close. Construction equipment in front of the Clip Joint took up parking spaces on the other side of the street, but not directly across from work on the retaining wall and pedestrian bridge project. Traffic that was already reduced to a single lane was not affected.
photo by Paul Fixx
“I came in early, about 2:30 [a.m.] or so and drove right by [the road crew],” said Lynn DeLaricheliere who owns Hardwick’s Village Restaurant. “Opie [Hardwick Town Manager David Upson] met me in the parking lot and told me what was going on.”
She said, “The water was still on then, but he explained that it would probably need to be shut off to work on the main and we decided to close for the day.”
“They [the town] were great, I felt like they did a super good job and kept me informed all day,” said DeLaricheliere.
“It was only a day. It could have been worse,” she said.
A boil water notice was issued by Hardwick Town Manager David Upson with an announcement that the repair was complete just after 8 p.m. Wednesday evening.
The boil water notice was canceled Saturday at 10:07 a.m.
“Effective immediately, the boil water notice for the Town of Hardwick is CANCELLED. We have received the test results back and there is no presence of coliform. It is safe to resume drinking the water,” wrote Upson.
“We appreciate your patience while we follow the necessary precautions following the water line break.”
When the leak had been repaired, Upson’s notice said a boil water notice was in effect and additional chlorine had been added to the water to help clear out possible contaminants as the town waited for the results of testing.
“A water leak has been discovered near the intersection of South Main Street, Mill Street, and North Main Street. Crews are on site and working to isolate the leak so that repairs can begin as quickly as possible,” said the initial report sent before 4 a.m. Wednesday morning by Upson via email and the town’s relatively new text alert system.
It continued, “During this time, residents and businesses in the area may experience temporary water service disruptions or reduced pressure . . We will provide updates as they become available.”
Both the Clip Joint and The Village Restaurant were closed last Wednesday.
photo by Paul Fixx
Another message, this time sent by Hardwick’s Business Manager, Casey Rowell soon after 8 a.m. said, “. . . the town has isolated the leak. Water interruptions will be intermittent throughout the day. Crews have started work to do the repair. . . Avoid Main Street if possible.”
The leak, in an original water main pipe in front of the Clip Joint at 9 S. Main St., had washed away fill under the sidewalk and roadway, creating a void, said Upson.
Before noon, asphalt had been removed in the area and the road crew had sawed around a rectangular section of the older concrete roadway beneath it.
Just after noon they began removing the concrete as they worked to get to the water main.
By 7 p.m. the leak had been repaired and the road crew had begun restoring water service in areas where it had been shut off during the repair.
A “Hardwick Alert Notification” soon after 7 p.m. said, “Crews have finished the water main repair on South Main Street and will now begin to turn the water back on systematically. We will work to get the air out of the system as we flood the main with water. You may experience moments of air along with dirty water.”
Additionally, that message first shared concerns about the water’s quality and the need to boil any of it to be consumed, “Please be advised that for the next 48 to 72 hours, any water used for drinking and cooking must be boiled first. We will increase the chlorine levels in the system slightly to speed up disinfection of the system.
A formal drinking water warning for the system was posted the following morning. It included details about the incident and a request that residents share the information with their neighbors who might not yet be aware of it.
“Due to a break in the main water line, there is a strong possibility that your drinking water supply may have become contaminated on the way to the tap. This situation presents a significant health risk to users of the Hardwick Town Water System,” the warning began and continued in bold type, “The Hardwick Town Water System is issuing a Boil Water Notice for all users, effective immediately.”
A section titled, “What should I do?” then said, “DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.”
The specific concern with contaminated water was explained: “Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other; potentially harmful bacteria may be present. When a water system is experiencing a failure of infrastructure the possibility exists for bacteria and other harmful organisms to enter the water distribution system and contaminate your drinking water supply.”
Extra concern was then suggested for particular groups of people who may be at higher risk, “People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791.
The town said “a total coliform test was taken” soon after the leak was discovered and the VT DEC Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division was notified of the situation.
The notice said users of town water should continue to boil it until the town provided additional information on the testing. “This Boil Water Notice will remain in effect until the water system is able to demonstrate that the quality and quantity of the drinking water meets State and Federal drinking water standards. This will be determined after additional total coliform testing and consultation with the contacts at the VT DEC Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division.”
“We anticipate resolving the problem within 2 to 3 business days,” said town staff.
Anyone with questions was asked to “contact David Upson (Hardwick Town Manager) at 802-472-6120.”
Just after noon on a Friday, another message from Upson said the Boil Water Notice was still in effect “as we await test results. We will send out another update as soon as they are received.”
Monday town staff confirmed that no test had shown the presence of coliform in the town’s water supply, but the testing requires the water to sit for 24 hours.
“The water was always safe to drink,” they said.
Upson reported another leak had been discovered in a message just after 8 a.m. Tuesday morning requiring parts of the water system to be shut off in the evening.”
“The town will begin work to repair a water leak that developed on Mill Street after the water main was repaired last week. Once the work begins, it will continue until the system is put back on line, the disruption will be minimal as the system will be isolated to Mill Street, South Main Street, Cottage Street and parts of Wolcott Street. Once the repair has been completed, normal water system operations will resume.
