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Staunton describes rapid repair and wide community response after Aug. 14 16‑inch water‑main break
Summary
Public Works Director Mr. Irvin told council a 16‑inch transmission main likely failed around 8:35 p.m. Aug. 14; crews repaired a 10‑foot section in about four hours, the city distributed five trailer loads of bottled/canned water and 40 bacteriological samples returned clear, allowing the boil‑water advisory to be lifted.
Public Works Director Mr. Irvin presented a detailed timeline of the Aug. 14 water‑main break to Staunton City Council on Aug. 28, describing system stresses, emergency operations and lessons learned.
Irvin said SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) trends indicate the probable break time at about 8:35 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14; a Stocker Street resident called dispatch at 8:48 p.m. Fire personnel confirmed the break and notified Public Works, which had on‑call crews arriving within minutes. "This was the 'Houston we have a problem' moment," Irvin said, describing a plant discharge that briefly rose to about 16,000,000 gallons per day (average ~4,000,000 gallons/day).
Crews identified that one of the two 16‑inch transmission mains in a wooded easement had failed. After field assessments and valve operations, crews excavated the damaged section, removed a…
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