Water Main Break on Chapman Ave. Shows Aging Pipes

A water main break on the 400 block of Chapman Avenue has left the front of a house all mucky. 

The break happened Tuesday night involving the city's 8-inch water main, said Public Services Director Klara Fabry.

"Unfortunately, the main cause of the break was the age of the pipe," Fabry said. "Our water system in this part of the city is more than 60 years old."

But Fabry added that the city's plan is to eventually replace all of the underground water infrastructure on a priority basis, taking into consideration the age of the pipe, number of breaks and maintenance costs involved.

This past winter the city completed —not too far away from the recent break—which were more than 50 years old and in poor condition.

According to the city, that pipe replacement project was meant to reduce the cost of future maintenance and forestall the city's risk for any further liability.