UPDATE:
Water service has been temporarily restored in the area West 5th Street and North Eisenhower Drive where a water main break occurred Wednesday afternoon. But service will have to be disconnected for the area served by the six-inch water line on Thursday.
Among the locations impacted by the loss of water service were a nearby car wash and the Junction City Municipal Swimming Pool. Ray Ibarra, City Public Works Director, felt dry conditions that currently exist probably caused the break. “When that happens sometimes the soil, it gets dry like that, and then it will just shrink away from the pipe. And when it does that it leaves a little gap between the pipe and the soil. And then you get some kind of hammer action in there and it will cause a break in the pipe.”
Ibarra confirmed the water line in the impacted area will have to be completely shut down Thursday morning so about 30 feet of pipe in the line can be replaced. “It’s in bad condition, it’s split all the way through there, so I’m going to have to cut it out and then replace that pipe in there.” That means that area including the Municipal Pool will be without water service for a period of time on Thursday, with Ibarra hoping the water can be turned back on after a four to six hour time frame. He said the work will probably begin about 8 or 9 a.m.
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The City of Junction City Public Works Department is reporting a water main break.
The break is in the area of West 5th Street and North Eisenhower Drive; periods of low water pressure or no water can be expected.
This water main break was first reported at 2:29 pm today – at 3:13 pm the City Public Works Department notified JC Post that water could potentially remain off in the affected area (above) until tomorrow morning.
Ray Ibarra, Public Works Director, said that crews have been working all day today.
“We typically do not go over 12 hours,” said Ibarra. “We do not want to endanger the personnel’s health in any way.”
This is the second water main break that crews responded to today. The first was in the South Madison Street and West Elm Street area – it has since been repaired.
“We usually shut down as long as it doesn’t affect the water treatment plant so we can keep the towers full.”
There are several different reasons water main breaks occur.
“Particularly right now, some of it could be because we haven’t had much rain and the soil is really dry; so the soil around that pipe would contract a little bit giving it a little gap, and if you get any hammer action of that sort it would cause a crack in the pipe and that’s when a water main break would occur.”
Ibarra noted that if anyone has any problems or concerns to call the Public Works Department at 238-7142.
“Until we get that line fixed, there is not much we can do.”