DAYTON — The work to repair the pipes damaged in the large water main break in Dayton last month is expected to cost more than a million dollars.
The water problems that occurred at Ottawa and Keowee Streets involved three different water mains.
While the road is open and repaired now, it will be torn up again.
City employees spotted this water main break first because it’s right next to the Ottawa Street water pumping station. That very location is also why repairs were so tricky.
The City’s Water Director, Michael Powell, said a leaking pipe in one line caused problems in three lines feeding water all over the city.
The lines were large, ranging between 30 and 48 inch diameter pipes, and the newest pipe was put in back in 1951, the oldest in 1893.
The initial repair work took about two weeks and now the city is going to spend 1.4 million to re-align two of the three lines and upgrade them.
“The whole idea is what can we do to improve this, if we’re going to spend money, let’s do this wisely,” Powell said.
This project was actually on the drawing board for the future, but they decided to move it forward after the problems in August.
Walnut Hills resident Maya Dietrich says if the dollars make sense to do it now, she’s happy about it.
She and her husband had to boil water after the break. She believes that infrastructure improvement is spending that serves people.
“Yeah, we know what its going to and we’ll see it, it sounds good to me,” Dietrich said.
Powell says the water department revenue is not from taxes but strictly from the payments of water customers.
Additionally, their well-managed reserve fund will pick up the cost of this project.
The barriers are in place and it won’t be long before roads are closed again for the new work.
This time the road could be closed for three months.
Cox Media Group
