Staff reports 3rd Street water‑main failure; city estimates 1.6–2 million gallons lost

A city staff member identified in the meeting record as Jeremy briefed councilors on an emergency water‑main failure on 3rd Street that required continuous work and multiple repairs.

Jeremy told the council crews encountered several concurrent breaks while replacing 60‑plus‑year‑old service lines ahead of paving. Attempts to replace a damaged hydrant broke a valve and triggered additional leaks; staff said the repairs revealed an 8‑inch cast‑iron main that failed and several cracked 4‑inch transite lines, some 10–15 feet long. The city patched an approximately 85‑ft by 16‑ft section of road, poured five concrete sections and estimated about 30-plus staff hours on the response.

"We lost around 1.6 to 2 million gallons during that process," Jeremy said. He said the city called external contractors only for valve insertion; otherwise crews worked in‑house and the emergency response avoided an estimated $150,000–$200,000 contractor bill. Staff also described using flowable fill for voids and noted that some automated emergency alerts (911 text messaging) were not sent because the system was in the middle of an update at the time of the incident.

Councilors were told boil‑water advisory door tags and other notices were used; staff acknowledged gaps in reaching residents without social media or local TV. The report underscored staff comments that aging infrastructure and scarce accessible valves in older intersections complicate repairs and increase overtime costs for emergency work.