BANGOR, Maine — As far as water main breaks go, the one Tuesday morning that sent a 30-foot geyser spouting from High Street in downtown Bangor was pretty convenient.
Water District appears to be having a good time. pic.twitter.com/KnTWb2nFd2
— Melanie Kollman (@observer1014) May 24, 2016
Bangor Water District crews were digging on High Street near the intersection with Hammond Street as a part of ongoing efforts to replace aging pipes. Of the 200-plus miles of water pipes that thread through the city, about 30 percent are more than a century old, according to the water district.
Crews were scheduled to shut off water to customers on High Street sometime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday in connection with a water main replacement project on Hammond Street, according to water district General Manager Kathy Moriarty.
“It broke before our shutdown,” Moriarty said.
An excavator was digging a hole so crews could link the High Street pipe with the new section of Hammond Street pipe. The operator didn’t strike the pipe, according to the district, but the pressure of the moving earth around the pipe apparently was enough to break it. That section of pipe on High Street was installed in the 1920s, Moriarty said.
The break sent water spouting from the hole and into the Hammond Street intersection, with water flowing down the hill toward downtown.
A passer-by posted a video of the geyser on Twitter after driving by around 9:30 a.m.
Moriarty said the break shouldn’t slow crews down too much. After shutting off the water pressure, crews were going to have to replace that section of pipe anyway in order to link it up with the line on Hammond Street.
“It’s a good time for something to break,” Moriarty said.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.