Ask ELi: What’s Up With All the Water Main Breaks?
A couple of readers wrote in asking us to look into frequent road closures due to water main breaks this year. Here’s what we found out.
If it seems like you’ve received more alerts this year about roads being closed due to water main breaks, it isn’t just your imagination.
“In the city of East Lansing, we average about 40 to 45 water main breaks a year, that’s pretty standard,” East Lansing’s Interim Operations Administrator Alando Chappell said. “This year we’re up a little bit, about 56, so we’re up about 10 above our average.”
The number of breaks fluctuates depending on a variety of factors, including extreme weather, which causes the ground to shift, Chappell explained. Intense heat, rain, and harsh winters with a lot of frost contribute to breaks.
Even though there have been more breaks this year, it hasn’t triggered concerns about water main infrastructure in East Lansing. Breaks are bound to happen and some years there are more than others.
What exactly are water mains?
Water mains are a collection of pipes that deliver water from a treatment plant to specific areas. East Lansing sources its water from the Saginaw Sandstone Aquifer. From there it’s transported to a treatment plant.
Generally, there are three types of pipes involved: transmission pipes are used for long distances, and connecting treatment plants to storage tanks. They attach to distribution pipes, which are used for short distances, like providing water to a neighborhood. Coupled to those are service mains, which deliver water directly to residential homes and businesses.
“Think of the transmission main as the highway, and then when it gets to a home or business, we go through the side street, or service, for the water to get there,” Chappell explained.
While the process of water coming out of a faucet seems effortless, the water mains are diligently maintained at positive pressure to prevent contamination.
Pipe life cycle and causes of main breaks
The life cycle of mains varies, some last upwards of 100 years, according to Chappell, while others need to be replaced before 40 years. The average life cycle is between 40 to 50 years, and East Lansing water mains are scheduled to last around 50 to 60 years.
In East Lansing, we have pipes that range from 30 to 80 years old, according to Chappell. They are replaced near the end of their life cycle, or earlier depending on specific conditions.
The type of soil the pipes are laid in can be a contributing factor that wears at the pipe over time. In older mains, any subtle shift can cause a break. Other times, a difference in water pressure can cause a break.
Construction or fire hydrants can also break down the condition of a pipe because of stress put on the underground pipes.
“The shock of the water opening and closing multiple times wears at the pipe as a result,” Chappell said.
Typically, water mains are operated between 65-72 psi. If it fluctuates above that threshold, and depending on the water main, it can cause a break due to overstressing the pipes.
Moreover, Chappell explained that if there is road work being done, replacing infrastructure before the end of its life cycle may be beneficial.
“Once you dig in the road, there’s a lot of other factors you have to take into account,” Chappell said. “Not just digging to replace that pipe, but everything that’s also associated and underneath that road.”
How do you fix a main break?
Fixing a water main break involves isolating the impacted area with water valves, and keeping water flowing at a consistent positive pressure at all times to prevent dirt from sitting in a pipe that carries water to businesses and homes.
“We need to have some type of flow of water coming out of those pipes even while making repairs because we don’t want anything to get into the water system,” Chappell said. “When we make the repair, we can flush that section out and make sure the water is safe to drink.”
Is it possible to stop water main breaks?
Unfortunately, there is no magic fix for a main break.
“It’s really just a common problem that every city will face, you can’t get away from water breaks, and it doesn’t really matter how new your system is, you can’t avoid it,” Chappell said.
Preventative maintenance is an important part to reducing main breaks. This includes flushing the system to remove any potential debris, maintaining water valves and sustaining good system pressure.
“Our job is to serve the public and we take pride in our system,” Chappell said. “We want to make sure that we deliver the best drinking water within the state…I think that we have a pretty good system here and always strive to get better.”