Saturday, of course, was Charter Day. The festivities included presentation of the Town’s ABLE Award at 6:00 p.m. and an engaging presentation by Kevin O’Connor of This Old House at 7:00. Everyone had a wonderful time at the Sipe Center—but elsewhere in Town, we had our hands full.
At 6:49 p.m., the Town received its first indication of a water line issue when a police officer reported water gushing up from Old River Road. A maintenance crew was immediately mobilized, and Water Treatment Plant staff extended their shifts to closely monitor system pressure and production. Pressure and production were critical, because fire departments had been drawing large volumes of water from Town hydrants throughout the day to fight the structure fire on Spring Creek Road. At the same time, Perdue was in full production that night.
Between the heavy system usage and the active leak, the John Wayland tank was emptying quickly. Fixing the leak required isolating the affected section of pipe by closing multiple valves—no small task, as those valves were buried beneath snow and ice. Valve by valve, crews had to excavate, locate, and close them. The process took time under the conditions, but by around midnight, the leak was successfully isolated.
Unfortunately, before the leak could be shut down, one nearby residence experienced first-floor flooding. Under normal circumstances, we would rely on the fire company to assist with pumping out a flooded home, but they were fully engaged with the ongoing fire. Town staff arranged for ServPro to assist the homeowners, who indicated they were stable for the night.
Even after the leak was stopped, time remained of the essence. Isolating the break required shutting off water service to some customers on the north side of Town, including Perdue. By and large, residents were understanding, and Perdue was cooperative as repairs moved forward.
The break itself turned out to be localized and small, but because of the line’s high operating pressure and the frozen ground, even a small hole produced substantial surface flow—giving the appearance of a much more dramatic pipe rupture. The issue was resolved with a repair band at approximately 3:00 a.m. Were it not for the frigid temperatures and the hours spent locating and accessing buried infrastructure, the repair might have seemed anticlimactic.
Pinpointing the exact cause of a water-line break is rarely straightforward, but we do have a working theory. We believe the combination of extreme cold and repeated pressure surges caused by opening and closing hydrants placed stress on the system, ultimately exploiting the weakest point in the pipe.
Sunday morning brought testing and paperwork. Residual sampling and water quality testing were performed in the surrounding area, and all results were within normal operating ranges. A bacteriological sample was also collected and submitted for laboratory analysis. The Virginia Department of Health was promptly notified and responded that our team had done a great job.
We agree. Charter Day gives us reason to be thankful for many things—but none more significant than the men and women who worked through the night, in bitter cold, to keep the water flowing.