Company from Chicago works to plug pipe leak

More than 6 million gallons of water were lost.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The city finally found a company to stop the flow of millions of gallons of water from a break in one of its two largest waterlines.
Hydro-Stop sent a crew from its Chicago office late Thursday to Youngstown to insert a large vinyl plug in the 36-inch pipe on Marshall Street on the lower West Side, said Eugene Leson Jr., the city water department's chief engineer.
The crew arrived shortly after 9 a.m. Friday and is expected to be done plugging the break by this afternoon, he said.
The city called three companies that specialize in plugging large waterline leaks, and Hydro-Stop was the only one that could come immediately, Leson said.
The cost for Hydro-Stop isn't known, but the city had no choice because millions of gallons of water continued to pour out of the line, Leson said. Until the leak is stopped, repairs can't be done, he said.
Once Hydro-Stop is finished, Marucci & amp; Gaffney Excavating Inc., a Youngstown company, will make the repairs to the line. Leson said he doesn't know the cost for the work to be done by Marucci & amp; Gaffney.
The line, one of the city's two 36-inch major water pipes, broke about 1:40 p.m. Wednesday, flooding Marshall Street behind the Youngstown Maennerchor building that fronts Mahoning Avenue. The top of an elbow joint separated from the pipe.
Water Commissioner John Casciano said Thursday that about 4 million to 6 million gallons of water were lost. On Friday, Leson said water continued to leak from the pipe and though the lost amount isn't yet known, it will be more than 6 million gallons.
The repair work could cost about 100,000, water officials say.
"We're concentrating on stopping [the leak] and repairing [the pipe] and then we'll access the cost of the damage," Leson said.
Installed sometime in the 1950s or 1960s, the elbow joint has concrete blocks around it to keep it in place, Leson said. It's possible the concrete eroded or was poured incorrectly, he added.
Also, water department employees were searching for a potential leak when the joint broke. It isn't known yet if that was the reason for the break.
The line provides water to the lower West Side, the lower South Side and downtown. A drop in water pressure in those areas continues because of the break.
Marshall Street between Hogue, where Marucci & amp; Gaffney's office is located, and Edwards streets, and West Avenue between Marshall Street and Mahoning Avenue will remain closed until the pipe is repaired.
Marshall may open as early as Sunday, but West will be closed for quite some time, Leson said. The pavement on that street has extensive damage.
Mahoning Avenue, one of the main roads connecting the city's West Side to downtown, is open even though there is water and ice on its south side. Because it is well-traveled, the city had no choice but to keep it open, Leson said.
skolnick@vindy.com