Water service is back to normal for a southeast Emporia neighborhood after a water line failure Tuesday morning.
Public Works Director Frank Abart says a 6-inch line failed near South Exchange and East Potwin. Crews were able to get the line repaired as of early afternoon.
Completion of this unscheduled project now lets Underground Utilities crews concentrate on a significant valve project in another part of town. Crews are receiving help from out of state as they install water valves under pressure on West Street at Fifth and Eighth on Wednesday. Abart says this project was slated so the city didn’t have to shut off a large part of the underground network for the needed repairs.
10 am Tuesday: Crews working to resolve Exchange/Potwin water main break
Contract crews and Emporia Underground Utilities crews are working to repair a water main break that developed early Tuesday morning in southeast Emporia.
Public Works Director Frank Abart says the break is at South Exchange and East Potwin near the junction of a 6-inch line and an 8-inch line. Early indications are one of the two lines failed.
Abart is expecting the situation will be resolved by late afternoon.
Abart says Emporia’s underground water system has had issues when it gets hot, dry, wet or cold, so Tuesday’s water main break is not a surprise.
The Public Works Department had to make some adjustments in order to handle the water line break because of another general project in town. Crews receiving help from out of state as they install water valves under pressure on West Street at Fifth and Eighth on Wednesday, and the preparation work for that project is underway. Abart says this project was slated so the city didn’t have to shut off a large part of the underground network for the needed repairs.
8 am Tuesday: Water main break develops near Exchange and Potwin
Emporia’s Underground Utilities Department is bracing sub-freezing conditions as they investigate a water main break in southeast Emporia.
KVOE listeners contacted the station around 7 am, saying there was water flowing on streets near the intersection of Exchange and Potwin.
Air temperatures have hovered around 10 above zero, but wind chills have dipped to near zero as the early work begins. Crews may have to excavate around the failure site before they are able to fix the line in question.
There is currently no word on the area affected or the number of water customers now offline.
Stay with KVOE and KVOE.com for details.
