Update: Jan 14
1PM: Break repair complete. Services being restored. If you experience discolored water, please run one tap until it clears.
Discolored water is caused by sediment from the water pipes, most commonly iron and magnese.
Service Impact
Water service will be down for approximately 3 to 4 hours this morning while we complete these repairs.
Specifically, your service depends on the type of break and the water pressure we find. For instance, if we can use valves to shut off just the leak, you may not lose any pressure. However, we must often lower the pressure or turn the water off completely to finish the job safely.
N Pitt St map
Jan 13
MAWSA found a water main break on North Pitt Street on January 13. To fix this, our crews will arrive at 8 AM on Wednesday, January 14. They will dig up the area, find the main, and start repairs.
What You Can Expect
Our team already confirmed the leak. Following this, we notified other utilities to mark their underground lines. A crew will arrive on-site around 8 AM on January 14 to cut the road and reach the water main. This process takes time. Once we reach the pipe, we can see the type of break and choose the best way to fix it.
Service Impact
This is the hardest part for our customers. It is also the time when we get the most calls. Sadly, we cannot always predict how long it will take. We usually plan for several hours to find and fix a break. During this time, we will try to let you know if your service will stop or just slow down.
The Test – Of Patience
This period causes the most frustration for our customers and generates most calls during a break repair. Furthermore, it is unfortunately an outcome we cannot easily predict. We typically budget several hours to expose and repair a main break. Throughout this process, we try to keep the affected area appraised of whether we will partially or fully interrupt service.
How Can You Help?
You can help by following these steps:
- Stay away from the work site. This keeps you and our workers safe.
- Check this blog for updates. This lets our team focus on the repair instead of answering phones.
- Keep your contact info up to date!
Check and Update Your Contact Information
We need your current phone and email to send you alerts. You can find your current info at the bottom of your monthly bill. If you need to change it, log into the customer portal and click “I want to change my communication preferences.” This can be found in the help box. You can also use our website’s contact-us page.
After Repairs
Initially, we will fix the road temporarily. Our team will keep you updated on our progress. In the winter, we use a “cold patch” for the road. This is not as strong as “hot mix”. We sometimes wait to do final paving for several jobs at once to save money, but we will always do a temporary fix right away.
