Stouffville Main Street watermain fixed, road repair to be completed this week

Cause of break yet to be determined, but there was structural failure within PVC watermain

Yorkregion.com
August 14, 2018
Simon Martin

A large watermain break on Stouffville Main Street Aug. 12 forced most of the town to go without water for a few hours.

“I’ve never seen anything that big,” Ward 3. Coun. Hugo Kroon said. “I’m just thinking because it’s a big one, it could take a while (to fix). I’m getting complaints from all over the place.”

The Whitchurch-Stouffville Leisure Centre was closed because the facility had no running water but it re-opened after a few hours.

Kroon said at the height of the incident, water was pooling between 18 inches and two feet near the break.

According to town spokesperson Glenn Jackson, the watermain that broke belongs to the town and was approximately 10 years old.  The cause of the break is yet to be determined, but Jackson said there was a structural failure within the PVC watermain.

The town has completed the watermain repair and full restoration of the road surface is dependent on when the asphalt contractor can be secured to pave the section of the road.

The town is trying to have it done by Aug. 15 at the latest, Jackson said.  

Traffic lane restrictions will be in place to assist crews performing the restoration.

There will also be some curb and sidewalk restoration conducted by the Town’s concrete contractor, which will be completed by September.

The total cost of the damages is to be determined.

"Unfortunately, like a lot of old towns, we’re experiencing a lot of watermain breaks, but they tend to be smaller ones, in the older areas of town," Kroon said. "This looked like a substantial one."

Half the town’s water comes from the reservoir and half is served by wells, he said.

The town is in the midst of undertaking a master plan for Main Street reconstruction. The area of focus is between Ninth Line and Park Avenue.

The latest from the town’s chief administrative officer Roman Martiuk last month is that road construction on Main Street may be as far out as 2021, depending on the master plan being developed.