Resident describes 30-hour Church Street water-main break; city says crews investigating repairs

Rick Adams, who identified himself as a Church Street resident, described an extensive water-main failure that he said ran for roughly "30-32 hours," shot water into the air and left about 30 inches of water in his basement, destroying belongings.

"It ran for roughly 30 32 hours straight," Adams said, adding the event left "piles and piles of dirt out in the street" and suggested substantial delamination and underground cavities beneath the pavement.

City administration responded that the break was being actively evaluated and that utility crews had been working nonstop to control the incident. An administration representative said insurance-claim paperwork had been passed to the appropriate staff and that the city planned to assess whether the roadway was compromised and what remediation would be required.

Commissioners thanked DPW crews for their response and noted a portion of Church Street was already slated for reconstruction this year, meaning repair work could be coordinated with planned pavement projects. Adams said he had filed a claim with the city and that he appreciated the crew efforts but wanted follow-up on roadway stability and basement damage remediation.

Why it matters: prolonged water-main failures present immediate public-health and property-damage risks and can require coordinated repair, pavement stabilization and potential city assistance or insurance follow-up. The commission acknowledged the incident and urged staff to continue updates to affected residents.