Water main breaks empty Sussex water system

SUSSEX BOROUGH — Water pressure was restored to Sussex and Wantage on Sunday, Nov. 16.

Residents are advised to continue boiling water until tests are completed confirming no bacteria is present. They are also advised to conserve water until the boil-water advisory is lifted.

The Department of Environmental Protection requires the borough to completely flush the system and take two rounds of water samples 24 hours apart from each other. Each sample must come back negative of bacteriological contamination before the boil-water advisory will be lifted.

Potable water tanks will be available throughout the boil water advisory. The tanks are located on: Main Street by the Theater, Lakeshore Drive in Clove Lake, and Second Street by Saint Claire's Hospital.

The Engineering Department completed a flushing plan. The plan will flush out any “bad” water and dirt/sediment from the pipes which entered during the loss of water event.

Going forward
Mayor Jonathan Rose requested bids for insertion valves in order to isolate the Route 23 construction project. Insertion valves can be installed while pipes are under pressure, thus, the water system will not need to be depressurized a second time.

Rose is requesting the valves “so that we are certain that we can isolate the area before another main (and it's likely when, not an if) is struck.”

The borough did anticipate this event and prepared an isolation plan more than a year ago.

“At least one valve that did operate previously failed in the open position, causing this catastrophic event,” Rose said.

It all started when
Sussex Borough's water system was taken down Thursday afternoon, Nov. 13, after a contractor of the Route 23 Realignment Project accidentally dug through a 4-inch water main on New Route 23 Northbound, at 9 a.m. The ensuing 600,000 to 1 million gallons of water poured out of the the water-main leak from where an unused fire hydrant had once stood. The water main was not on anyone's maps.

In response, the borough's mayor, administrator, engineer, and Department of Public Works worked together all day trying to shut the water off, but the valves of the main were frozen in the open position.

In order to contain the situation, finally, the water was shut off completely Thursday afternoon for the entire Sussex Water/Sewer Utility.

The second main break
Between 3-5 a.m. Friday, Nov. 14, Sussex Borough lost water pressure again due to another main break. There was no water in the system because it all leaked out.

The second break was located at Walling Ave./New Route 23 Southbound and was caused because the first main leak was particularly stressful on the old Sussex water pipes.