Crews spent long hours digging, filling and chasing down gates, leavened with a little levity.
Update on Saturday Sept. 26, 1 p.m.: The state Department of Environmental Protection has lifted the boil water order issued Friday for residents affected by the water main break on River Street.
It is no longer necessary to use boiled water or bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and preparing food. The City of North Adams apologizes for any inconvenience and thanks you for your patience.
The areas specifically identified as potentially affected were:
River Street, Yale Street, Upper Meadow Street, Williams Street, North Street, Cady Street, Pitt Street, Chesbro Avenue, Chase Avenue, North Holden Street, Dover Street, Miner Street, Wal-Mart, and McCann Technical School.
The city has it has taken the following actions to confirm the status of the water system:
The water main has been repaired and the water mains were disinfected with chlorine.
A chlorine residual has been maintained throughout the water system.
Friday, Sept. 25, multiple water system samples were collected from the affected area and elsewhere in the city. All results were absent for total coliform bacteria and showed adequate chlorine residuals.
Pressures have been determined to be adequate in the at-risk areas.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city released a boil water notice for all residences and business that lost water service or experienced discolored water or lower pressure in connection to the River Street water main break.
The Department of Public Services released a statement at 2:30 p.m. on Friday urging residents and businesses whose water was affected to boil water before consumption.
The statement reads:
"Due to the water main break on River Street, and as a precaution, all residences and business which lost water service, or experienced discolored water or lower pressure (below 35 psi at the water main/hydrant), advised to boil water for one minute prior to use for human consumption."
The Public Works and Water departments spent two days trying to isolate the leak in order to repair it. The 24-inch main separated at a joint that was probably caused by expansions and contractions from changing temperatures.
The leak was reported at about 7 p.m. on Tuesday and crews dug out the area on Wednesday. However, crews struggled to track down and turn the appropriate gates -- shutoffs that allow water to be diverted or shut off to certain sections of the system. Many of the 400-odd gates in the city are obsolete and some have trouble functioning.
There's also been issues with the mapping system for the gates and the departments have been depending on old maps because the digital ones created in the 1990s are "muddled" said Public Services Commissioner Timothy Lescarbeau.
In this case, it turned out the culprit was a line long that removed when the flood control system was installed along River Street. A check on the other side of Marshall Street some years ago related to Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art found concrete in the line. However, there was a section on the east side of the bridge that was still active.
During this time, a number or residences lost water or experienced low water pressure. Although the main ran down River Street, it also affected McCann Technical School and the City Yard on Hodges Cross Road and, to some extent, Walmart. McCann was closed and students at Colegrove Park Elementary reverted to remote education as a precaution.
Crews were able to find that old gate and shut off the water. A pressure collar with a rubber gasket was placed on the 140-year-old pipe late Thursday night that successfully closed the leak.
The city also released a fact sheet that stated no water samples have confirmed the presence of bacteria, and the notice is being issued as a precaution.
The sheet included:
Massachusetts drinking water standards required public water systems to maintain 20 pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure at each service connection to ensure safe water to our customers. These circumstances warranted advising those customers with discolored water, those who lost service and those whose pressures dropped to below 20 psi to boil their water upon resumption of water service. We determine pressure loss through hydrant pressures at less than 35 psi to have occurred in the following areas: River St., Yale St., Upper Meadow St., Williams St., North St., Cady St., Pitt St., Chesbro Ave., Chase Ave., North Holden St., Dover St., Miner St. WalMart, and McCann Tech.
Loss of pressure can result in backflow of water through and into the distribution system and may result in bacterial contamination. As a result, we advised customers in the affected area to boil their water and MassDEP is requiring the issuance of this public notice as a precautionary measure.
The fact sheet also stated :
We made repairs in the area and restored water pressure where pressure drops were identified. We maintained chlorine disinfection throughout our distribution system to kill bacteria and viruses that may be present. We will verify adequate pressure and will collect bacteria samples to confirm water quality within the area of concern and elsewhere in our distribution system. We will verify protection of the water system from backflow risks. We will let you know you are no longer advised to boil water due to this incident.
A public notice with more detail is available and is being distributed to affected areas. Further notice will be provided when the boil order is lifted.
For more information: please contact Public Services dispatch at 413-664-3047.
Since Wednesday morning, crews have been addressing a 24-inch main that sometime on Tuesday sprung a leak. Homes and businesses in the northern part of the city were most affected.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.
More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.
Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.
One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly.
"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."
Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.
Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.
One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly.
click for more
This spring weekend, there are a variety of events in and around the Berkshires, including Spring Celebrations, music, cleanups, and more.
click for more
More than 300 students from area high schools entered their work in 12th annual Teen Invitational at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. click for more
Backed by a $750,000 federal grant for a planning study, North Adams and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art are looking to undo some of that damage.
click for more
"It wasn't 100 percent consistent but I was afforded the opportunity to get to know other people with different religion, beliefs, backgrounds and culture and to be able to embrace that." click for more
