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Allegan water director outlines cause, damage and fixes after Marshall Street main break
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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 installed thrust blocks and temporary measures where necessary. At one point, officials asked MDOT to close M‑89 after water undermined multiple lanes; city staff said the road would be permanently repaved by MDOT when asphalt plants reopen in spring or summer.
Staff isolated sections of the system as they located valves, and the city issued a boil‑water advisory Thursday after a sustained pressure drop in the low‑pressure district. Zach said the advisory was triggered by the pressure loss and that notices via text, social media and the city website went out within about a half hour of the loss of pressure. Partial lifting of the advisory began Saturday after system flushing and hydrant work.
Council members pressed staff on the timing of the advisory and on follow‑up actions. "Boil water isn't needed until the pressure actually drops in the system," one councilor said; Zach and other staff recommended a formal after‑action plan, training on system hydraulics, and restoring a valve‑turning program the city had paused in 2017.
Staff highlighted asset‑management data gaps in the Silversmith mapping system that slowed isolation—missing valves, misplaced fittings and outdated pipe locations—and proposed steps to correct the database and add GPS‑verified points. They also noted the system includes many cast‑iron mains near the end of their expected service life and said replacement plans are in the capital plan for neighborhoods including Rossman Park, downtown, Trowbridge, Chestnut and Walnut.
Mayor Pro Tem and council members thanked the water crews and local businesses that provided boiled water and other aid during the outage. Staff said they will return with a documented "lessons learned" action plan that outlines map updates, training, isolation‑map rollouts and any budget implications.
