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Investigation: Skokiewater main failure caused by deteriorated 1950s junctions; village to assess transmission mains
Summary
A forensic investigation found a missing end cap on a 36-inch Y assembly likely liberated by gradual deterioration and inadequate thrust blocking; Skokie removed two vulnerable assemblies, will issue an RFQ for assessment of 20-inch-and-larger transmission mains, and outlined emergency-response and communication improvements.
A forensic team hired by the village concluded that a Feb. 14 full-bore water release in Skokie was caused by the gradual deterioration and displacement of an end cap on a 36-inch Y assembly, rather than a single, catastrophic pressure event.
Dr. Sean Dee of Exponent told the Village Board on Nov. 17 that the excavated assembly near East Prairie Road and Emerson Street carried fabrication markings consistent with mid-1950s installation; X-ray fluorescence testing found lead consistent with an oakum-and-lead seal. "The most likely potential cause or primary cause of the liberation or separation of this end cap was the gradual deterioration of this Y assembly, driven primarily by inadequate thrust blocking in the buried installed condition on the assembly," Dee said.
The investigat…
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