LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — A 10-inch water line main break caused some damage to downtown Lynchburg on Monday, flooding roads and some apartments.
The more than 100-year-old line broke around 8:30 p.m. on 10th St., between Commerce and Main Streets, and the water rushed down toward Jefferson St.
Crews are working to fix a water main break in downtown Lynchburg on Monday night. (Hayden Robertson/WSET)
Tim Mitchell, the director of Lynchburg Water Resources, said the cold weather we’ve seen may be to blame.
It’s a 1912 water line, so it’s been in the ground for over a century. A lot of times when we have changes in temperature, or it gets colder, the older pipes are more brittle, and they tend to break,” Mitchell said. “It’s very unpredictable where it happens; we can’t really make a determination that it’s going to happen in any particular spot.”
Crews worked through the night to get things cleaned up.
“Working through the night, cleaning up the muck and mess from the break, and trying to get the roads back open as quickly as possible,” Mitchell said.
READ MORE: Crews repair water main break in downtown Lynchburg
Mitchell said nobody’s water was shut off because of the break, and they’ve managed to get it mostly cleaned up, but Tenth St., where the break happened, will be closed for the foreseeable future. At that site, crews had to tear up the pavement to get to the line.
“We’ve made the repair to the water line, and we’re flushing the water line right now. We’re going to do a bacteriological sample on the water coming out of the line to make sure it’s safe to drink before we open up the entire system and let the water flow through the pipe,” Mitchell said.
The break also caused major erosion, where an embankment washed away, near the N.B. Handy building on Jefferson St.
Lynchburg Water Resources is working to repair and clean up, following a Tenth St. water line break. (Credit: Rachel Branning/WSET)
“There is an electrical transformer that was affected by the erosion. It’s undermined, so AEP had to remove that transformer, so there are some people without power,” he said. “We want to make sure the bank is stabilized going forward. It’s on private property… But we will take a look to see what damage was done there and what needs to be done to repair the bank.”
Mayor Larry Taylor said he was on Jefferson St. during the chaos. He commends Lynchburg Water Resources for their hard work.
Water Resources did a wonderful job getting this under control quickly, and I have to take my hats off to these men. They were out last night, making the repairs necessary. So, they work hard, and we’re very thankful for them and all that they do,” he said.
Mitchell said unexpected breaks like this are exactly why the city is working to replace the old pipes running beneath downtown Lynchburg, as part of their Downtown Renewal Project that began in 2016.
“Anything that’s over 100 years old, we know we need to replace as soon as possible,” he said. “That’s why we’ve been working downtown for the last decade or so to replace the water lines. We have a ways to go obviously, but we’re making progress.”
Mayor Taylor said the project is important for our Hill City.
WSET
“Replacing the 100-year-old pipes is necessary, and we need to be able to fund the projects that we have,” he said.
Mitchell said some downtown residents may see discolored or airy water over the next day or so.
“It should be safe, but it could be discolored. They may also see some air in their waterlines. If they experience either one of those, they should turn their cold water on and let it run a little while to let the system flush through,” Mitchell said. “Do not open your hot water because that will draw any sediment into your hot water tank.”
Crews released the following information on road progress in relation to the water main break:
“Jefferson Street has been partially reopened from Ninth Street to the Riverfront Lot to allow access to the parking lot, which is open. A portion of Jefferson Street from the Riverfront Lot to The Water Dog remains closed to through traffic as cleanup efforts continue. The remainder of Jefferson Street is accessible to traffic. Some parking restrictions are in place along Jefferson Street to allow for cleanup.
LWR crews continue to work on restoring the roadway on 10th Street near the intersection with Commerce Street. The section of 10th Street between Main Street and Commerce Street remains closed to through traffic; however, limited access from the direction of Main Street is allowed to accommodate parking needs. Commerce Street has been fully reopened to traffic.”
If you have any questions or are experiencing any water troubles following this break, call Water Resources at 434-455-4250.