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Allegan water director outlines cause, damage and fixes after Marshall Street main break
Summary
City water director Zach told the council the Feb. 18 Marshall Street break was a long longitudinal fracture in an aging cast‑iron main that spilled roughly 125,000 gallons overnight; crews isolated the low‑pressure district, issued a boil‑water advisory, completed staged restoration and identified mapping and training gaps to fix before summer construction season.
Zach, the city's water utilities director, told the Allegan City Council that a resident first reported the Marshall Street main break on the evening of Feb. 18 and crews found a roughly 50‑foot longitudinal fracture in a cast‑iron main installed in the 1940s. "I calculated about 125,000 gallons overnight," Zach said, describing heavy flow and repeated attempts to cut and cap the live main.
Repair crews worked through the night and into the following days. Because the main sat only about 3 feet below the road surface, crew leaders said standard valve inserts could not be used—they cut, capped and…
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