Underground fire-hydrant pipe bursts at Mountain Way; district, city and insurer coordinate repairs

Marshall Cruz, the district’s business/operations lead, told the Granite Falls School Board on June 25 that an underground supply pipe feeding fire hydrants beneath Mountain Way ruptured and sent water through the surface, causing substantial settling of asphalt.

Cruz said the pipe is about 8 feet below ground and the break forced crews to excavate, clamp a replacement section into the existing pipe and test the seal. “It burst with a hole about this being in the pipe… it finally just gave way,” he said. City crews reduced system pressure while workers cut and clamped the pipe, then tested the repair by listening for vibration at the clamp.

Cruz estimated roughly 15,000 square feet of asphalt has settled because of the leak and will need replacement; he said the insurance company has agreed to cover damages “incurred from the broken pipe” and site access costs, but told the district it may not cover the actual cost of replacing the failed pipe. The district intends to purchase replacement pipe and complete the repair even if the insurer denies that line-item cost, Cruz said.

He told the board the district will keep the removed pipe section on-site until work is complete and the insurer has received requested documentation, including maintenance history, as insurers asked for records that explain cause and prior inspection practices. Cruz said playground and parking repairs are expected to be significant but that the district’s insurance will cover most of the repair cost.

The superintendent and business staff framed the episode as disruptive but manageable, noting crews were able to stop the leak and that insurance and levy funds will be used for capital repairs. Cruz said the district’s emergency response allowed field-day activities to proceed without health concerns and thanked city crews for help isolating pressure to enable repairs.