UPDATE: TOWN OF LUTHER WATER RESTORED SATURDAY EVENING.
FROM THE TOWN OF LUTHER: As our crew said, “We are back in business!”
The repair has been made and water has been restored to the Town of Luther. We thank all of our community for your patience throughout the afternoon and evening, and apologize for any inconvenience the lack of water has caused.”
A water main break in the Town of Luther shut down water for the entire town on Saturday. This incident happened around Noon Saturday while Luther Public Works Authority personnel were preparing a new water meter for a new customer on Main Street.
Unfortunately, when the dirt was removed from the main to find the valve for the new customer, the absence of pressure that had been provided by the dirt caused a fracture in the eight-inch pipe. Water gushed from the hole and down the back alley on the east side of Main, causing some water back up to businesses and residences. That led to the necessity of shutting down the system.
“It’s a freak thing that’s happened. The dirt retrieval relieved pressure and it busted,” said Brian Proc, LPWA maintenance supervisor. He noted that the movement of the earth and the age of the pipes are factors in these breaks in the infrastructure.
To complicate matters, the official Town water map showed the main was a six-inch, but it actually is an eight-inch main. That discovery made it difficult to get necessary parts, requiring a trip to the city and calling in specialists and regulators.
But with parts acquired and a determination to restore water, LPWA personnel remains hopeful they will be able to fix the problem on Saturday. Until then, no water service for the Town which caused some restaurants and businesses to close on a normally busy Saturday. And for households, residents adjusted to not being able to do laundry, use the bathroom, wash dishes or do other chores and necessities.
Monitor the Town’s FB page as well as The Luther Register for updates.
