Water main break disrupts downtown Sharon

SHARON — A geyser erupted on the town Green Friday afternoon, Jan. 30, alerting officials to a water main break in the adjacent roadway. Repair crews remained on site through the weekend to fix the damaged line.

About 15 nearby homes lost water service Friday while crews made repairs. Water was restored by Sunday afternoon. The water system is overseen by the town’s Sewer and Water Commission.

With temperatures dipping to the single digits Sunday afternoon, Williston Case of W.B. Case Plumbing & Heating of Sharon oversaw the repairs. He explained that two pipes run side by side — one dating back to 1941 and the other significantly older. After searching for the source of the leak, crews determined the newer pipe had cracked, causing water to bubble out of the ground.

Case said crews were on site Friday night, but it wasn’t until Saturday that the leak was located. The road had to be excavated to a depth of about four to five feet. His crew worked throughout Saturday, and on Sunday, Gallagher Construction of Brewster, New York, joined the effort.

Company owner Chuck Gallagher said his firm specializes in water mains and often assists other contractors with difficult breaks.

“This pipe is an odd size,” Gallagher said, adding that the repair was complicated further by a large rock above the pipe that had to be blasted.

The initial plan was to wrap a sleeve around the damaged pipe, but the unusual pipe size made that approach unworkable.

First Selectman Casey Flanagan said that of the 15 affected dwellings, one was an apartment building with multiple units. On Upper Main Street, the outage extended from the road by the Green to Sharon Methodist Church. On Main Street, it stretched from near West Main Street to the cemetery.

Flanagan said water was delivered to affected households by members of the Sharon Volunteer Fire Department. Residents were also able to refill containers at the firehouse and were offered access to showers at the firehouse, Sharon Hospital and a building owned by the Sharon Playhouse.

Steve Szalewicz, chairman of the Sewer and Water Commission and an affected homeowner, said about 30 of the commission’s 380 customers were impacted. Water testing confirmed there was no contamination.

“The town came together,” Szalewicz said, noting gestures of assistance from various organizations. “It’s a 150-year-old system, so some things break. But we haven’t had a major break in 15 years.”

When water service was restored Sunday afternoon, Flanagan thanked the plumbing companies, the fire department, the Sewer and Water Commission, and Mark Sweeny of V.R.I. Environmental Services for working through harsh conditions, as well as residents “for their patience.”