The Town Board declared its intent to file a grant application with Rural Development for assistance for water main breaks, maintenance, and emergencies. Town Board member Aimee Rogers will be leading the grant application process, which could help the Town address significant costs stemming from water main breaks that occurred over the past few weeks.

Town Board member Bernie Feldmann detailed the recent breaks at the latest Town Board meeting. He explained that three water main breaks occurred over the course of one night in Hanford Bay.

Rob Weiskerger, Water and Sewer Department Superintendent, was alerted remotely of a significant water main break in the town. Weiskerger and two members of his crew immediately took action to locate the source. The major break was located on Shore Drive in Hanford Bay, but as that was repaired, additional breaks were later found on Dixie Avenue and Front Street.

Feldmann stated the major break resulted in the loss of roughly 1,800 gallons of water per minute. Feldmann described the breaks as a chain reaction similar to a straw with one end plugged — as the air is sucked from the open end, the middle of the straw collapses.

OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Hanover Town Board member Bernie Feldmann described recent water main breaks in the town at a recent meeting.

In the case of the latest water main breaks, as Shore Drive broke, the pressure shift also caused Dixie Avenue and Front Street to both break.

To repair the breaks, the Town relied on Weiskerger and two other Water and Sewer employees to work overtime, working from roughly 8 p.m. through the night into their regular shift the next day. Two Highway Department employees working the night shift also assisted, and worked overtime into the next morning. Feldmann authorized Weiskerger to call for help from S. St. George Enterprises, who brought three trucks and an excavator to assist.

“They got it done by morning, but they would not have if it had not been all hands on deck,” Feldmann said.

Now, the Town is faced with overtime bills for two crews, the bill from S. St. George Enterprises, an entirely wiped out inventory of repair materials, and the potential of an insurance claim for damages sustained from the breaks, in addition to the significant water loss sustained during the breaks. The Town is seeking emergency grant funding to help cover the costs.

Even after the breaks were repaired, the Town also recently dealt with a water main break in Sunset Bay. The Town plans to evaluate its water lines throughout Hanford Bay and Sunset Bay, which Feldmann suspects both are in need of significant upgrades.