Auburn, NY -- Officials are hoping for the best but bracing for the worst when the city of Auburn tries to repair a large water line leak on Franklin Street Wednesday night. Some 10,000 residences and businesses in the city and several surrounding towns were put on notice this week they could temporarily lose water service if the repair takes...
Auburn, NY -- Officials are hoping for the best but bracing for the worst when the city of Auburn tries to repair a large water line leak on Franklin Street Wednesday night.
Some 10,000 residences and businesses in the city and several surrounding towns were put on notice this week they could temporarily lose water service if the repair takes longer than expected.
Auburn Public Works Director Jerry DelFavero on Tuesday likened the repair to tackling delicate surgery. The work is fraught with the potential for problems because the line is old and the break is big, he said.
“It’s scary for everybody. It’s a delicate procedure,’’ DelFavero said.
The rupture in the 30-inch line, discovered last week, is about four feet long and located on the south side of Franklin Street across from East Middle School. The line, one of the city’s largest in diameter, is about 100 years old and runs to the city reservoir on Franklin Street Road.
DPW workers will first try to repair the line using one of two customized clamps when they start the work at 11 p.m. That work will likely take a few hours and has less potential for causing bigger problems, DelFavero said.
“Hopefully everybody wakes up and we’re good to go,’’ he said.
However, if that doesn’t fix the leak the city would have to remove and replace the section of the breached line, DelFavero said. That would take longer than clamping the line and could cause other leaks and a possible interruption in service to Auburn residents and businesses and to water customers in Aurelius, Brutus, Mentz, Throop and Sennett.
“The city of Auburn doesn’t want to do that….The cost of people being without water is huge,’’ DelFavero said.
Auburn Correctional Facility, the maximum security prison on State Street, is preparing for the worst, according to Linda Foglia, a state corrections department spokeswoman.
The prison has put in place a water conservation plan that starts at 11 p.m. Wednesday, Foglia said. The prison’s 1,738 inmates and 776 employees have been told that they can’t flush toilets or take showers through mid-day Thursday.
The prison plans to bring in bottled water, four portable potties for staff and serve cold breakfast and lunch on Styrofoam, according to Foglia. Inmate programs are canceled for Thursday.
At Cayuga Community College where classes start on Wednesday, college President Daniel Larson is hoping for the best. The college does not have a backup water source and would have to close for as long as there is no city water available, Larson said.
That possibility doesn’t sit well with Larson, who said, “The first week … you don’t want students missing classes already.’’
If the city has to interrupt water service the Cayuga County Health Department will issue a boil water order for when the water is turned back on, according to Eileen O’Connor, a department spokeswoman.
Health officials are urging water users to buy bottled water certified by New York state and/or to fill up pitchers of tap water to store in their refrigerators before 9 p.m. Wednesday. Also, residents should fill their bathtubs with water and have a bucket handy to flush toilets.
Unlike some businesses Auburn Memorial Hospital has a mandated backup plan that entails buying water from several companies so that patient care will continue seamlessly, hospital officials said.
“The doctors and staff are on board but we’re all prepared for the worst,’’ said Tom Putnam, the hospital’s engineering director.
You can reach Scott Rapp at srapp@syracuse.com or 289-4839