Expect more waterline breaks in Campbell, Youngstown, officials say
By Jeanne Starmack
and David Skolnick
Waterlines in Campbell and Youngstown will continue to be vulnerable to breaks because of their age, officials in those cities say.
The problem won’t be fixed until the lines are replaced, they added. But no money is available now to replace the old lines.
Campbell Administrator Lew Jackson reported between 12 and 15 waterline breaks so far this year, including a big one Jan. 10 at Tremble Avenue and 14th Street. That break leaked 750,000 gallons of water, interrupted water service for 80 percent of the city and was not fixed until mid-day Jan. 11.
Another smaller break on Warhurst Street at 7:40 a.m. Jan. 16 took about 30 minutes to fix, he said.
In Youngstown, water- department crews repair “several breaks a week during the winter,” said Eugene Leson Jr., the department’s chief engineer.
“They happen all the time, but it’s a lot worse during the winter. You’ve got an old system, it’s cold, and the ground moves because of the winter weather.”
The ground freezes and then thaws, causing movement resulting in waterlines breaking, he said.
“We have been inundated” with waterline breaks this winter, Leson added.
The problem is the same in Campbell, where the lines are between 80 to 100 years old, which makes them even more prone to breaking when the weather fluctuates, Jackson said.
A mild spell at the beginning of January and a return to cold weather was one problem, he said.
An accident earlier this month in which a woman hit a fire hydrant on Warhurst Street also caused pressure problems in the lines, which led to between 10 and 12 breaks.
Jackson said last year was even worse. “We’re two behind last year,” he said, pointing out that there’s plenty of unpredictable weather still ahead.
Jackson said that under former Mayor Jack Dill eight years ago, the city had applied for but did not get a grant to install a new waterline from Wilson Avenue up Sixth Street to Coitsville Road.
He estimates $3 million to $4 million would be needed to replace the line on Sixth Street.
Other lines prone to breaking are on Morley and Palmer streets, he said. He said the lines there could probably be replaced for about $1 million each.
Jackson said two engineering firms that work for the city are writing for grants this year to replace the lines.
“Our biggest problem is trying to get all the old pipes replaced within the next five years,” he said.