Emporia’s Underground Utilities Department has been stretched thin Monday.
Underground Utilities had to respond to four water main breaks in a two-hour stretch. The breaks unfolded shortly before and during KVOE’s monthly Q&A with Trey Talk of Emporia featuring City Manager Trey Cocking, who had an early update on the 20-inch line failure on Prairie just north of 12th. Cocking says the issues with this old line are well-known.
Short-term, water service may be restored by mid- to late afternoon to the affected area and there’s no word on when traffic will return to normal between 12th and 15th. Longer-term, the work comes as the city has reopened 24th and has started early work on Prairie for its major 24th and Prairie waterline replacement project. The process has been installing larger-bore waterlines, anywhere from 6-24 inches in diameter, and will continue through summer or fall 2025.
Crews also dealt with three other breaks between 10 am and noon Monday, including the 1000 block of Grand, the 1100 block of Walnut and at 12th and West. Newman Regional Health’s Cora Miller Hall — the School of Nursing — was briefly without water because of planned water valve work nearby but those issues have been resolved.
We’ll have updates on KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media.
11:20 am Monday:
Emporia Underground Utilities crews have dealt with several significant water main breaks on Prairie north of 12th, and they are back there again.
Crews were called out just before 11 am to handle a water main failure between 12th and 15th. Prairie is blocked between Park Avenue and 12th, and City Communications Manager Christine Torrens says Prairie will be closed to thru traffic between 12th and 15th until further notice. City Manager Trey Cocking says this involves a 20-inch line, and KVOE listeners say Prairie heaved in several spots due to the break.
Crews are dealing with three other breaks, the1000 block of Grand, the 1100 block of Walnut and 12th and West. Newman Regional Health’s Cora Miller Hall — the School of Nursing — was briefly without water because of planned water valve work nearby but those issues have been resolved.
We’ll have updates on KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media.
