Four small water leaks, the result of changing weather and aging pipes, were brought to the attention of the Bradford City Water Authority over the weekend.
On Saturday, a crew repaired a small leak behind Goodman Services, according to Steve Disney, the authority’s executive director. Then on Sunday, “We had one on Edna Avenue that took about six hours to repair a four-inch main line.” The Edna Avenue leak caused a “very minimal disruption,” with only a handful of houses on that street without water while repairs were made.
The authority also inspected on Sunday two other “very, very minor” leaks — one at 14 Forman St. and one near the Lighthouse Restaurant on Bolivar Drive — that they will repair today and Tuesday, he said.
The leaks over the past few days have not prompted any drinking water advisories. All water service was restored when Disney talked to The Era on Sunday evening.
This was in the aftermath of a larger leak early Friday morning that brought crews to clean up flooding on East Washington Street. The roadway was closed for several hours while workers made repairs in the cold.
Disney is advising anyone who experiences “cloudy or dirty water” since Friday’s break that the issue can be “easily remedied” by letting the cold water run for a bit.
He talked about the cause of water breaks, too.
“Normally, the largest thing that will trigger a break in the line is temperature,” said Disney. “Temperature swings are not good. A week ago, it was 60 degrees; now it’s in the teens or 20s. I know over the last several weeks we’ve experienced those temperature swings.”
The impact of the temperature swings on an aging water system is a common issue for many communities. “Many, many cities across the country are in the same boat,” said Disney.
He explained, “Bradford’s been an established city for a long time. The water system’s been around for a long time.”
Disney would like to see the authority “start putting some funds together” for repairs.
“The infrastructure is aging and getting to the point where we’re going to have to really budget some capital funding and go in and look at replacing some of the old water mains and water valves in the system.”
Hearing a push from President Donald Trump for infrastructure work such as road and bridge repairs, he is hopeful federal funding will be made available for water repairs. “We’re watching that intently, hoping something breaks through.”
In the meantime, Disney has been pleased with the way Bradfordians pull together when water issues do arise, as well as the hard work of the authority’s employees.
“In general, I do appreciate the cooperation that we’ve seen in the city departments,” he said. “We’ve really got some good help.” As for the authority workers, “The community doesn’t really know how good a crew the Bradford City Water Authority has. Me being new, I’ve had a good first-hand look at how dedicated they are. If there’s a problem, they want to get it done as soon as possible.”
