Sixth water main break in Hillsborough since January

There was a break in the Orange Grove Road water main in Hillsborough Tuesday near Birmingham Drive. This water main has become unreliable and is one of many parts of the town’s water and sewer needs that must be met, according to the 2011 Hillsborough budget priorities.

“This is the sixth water main break since January,” said Assistant Utilities Director Will Baker.

Baker said that the utilities crew was able to isolate the water main break on Tuesday so that it only affected a small portion of the surrounding populous.

“We were without water from the early morning to about 4 or 4:30 p.m. that day,” said Lashay Croaker, a medical technician at Carillon Assisted Living in Hillsborough.



Kenny Keel, the town engineer and utilities director, said that the water main is problematic because it was installed poorly in 1974 over a protruding rock that is causing pressure points on the bottom of the pipe. It is also constructed of a thin-walled plastic pipe that is typically no longer used for water line construction.

Hillsborough’s water and sewer system is more then 100 years old.

“Once you’ve bought the bear you have to keep feeding it,” said Baker, referring to the high cost of maintenance that the system requires.

The estimated cost of a new water main is roughly $200,000 and the water and sewer fund is facing a 22 percent decrease this year in addition to last year’s decrease.

Each main break costs a minimum of $1,500 in labor and materials to repair. Main breaks outside of normal business hours accrue additional over-time labor costs and breaks that require road patching add at least $1,000 per incident.

The town has dealt with the decreased revenue in the past by putting off major projects to avoid raising taxes, said Mayor Tom Stevens.

“This year is going to be difficult,” said Eric Peterson, the Hillsborough town manager. “You can [put off major costs] one year, but you can’t do that another year with as much equipment as we have.”

In addition to the Orange Grove Road water main replacement, other serious water and sewer needs include upgrading the Mayo Street pump station, reconditioning aerators, rehabilitating deteriorated sewer mains and replacing and increasing the size of about 3,500 feet of sewer main line from Gold Park to Exchange Park Lane which is running at capacity and is at risk of overflows.

Baker said the town plans to couple the Orange Grove Road water main replacement with the Mayo Street pump station upgrades.

Keel said about 55 percent of the water project will be funded by the EPA State and Tribal Assistance Grant and the rest will come from the town’s water capital fund. The sewer project will likely be financed with a 5-year loan.

All budget proposals will be subject to approval by the Town Board

The town has made efforts over the years to improve the water and sewer services to its citizens.

“We make dirty movies,” said Baker, referring to the PV inspection camera that films the inside of sewer pipes to check for cracks or leaks, one of the recent inspection equipment investments.

Baker said that the town also issues notices as standard procedure to residents affected by a water main break. After the main is repaired, a chlorine residual test is done to ensure the water is properly disinfected. Then the water is turned back on and a 24-hour bacteria analysis test is started. Notices are passed out informing residents to boil drinking water until the results of the bacteria analysis is complete, after which another notice is issued to inform residents of the results.

While the probability of the bacteria analysis showing unsafe results are extremely rare, Baker said that it is “better to be safe than sorry.”

Burlington is not as diligent as Hillsborough about distributing notices.

William Keene, the water quality production manager for Burlington said, “We don’t usually give out notices.”

Keene said residents were not notified after a recent water main break and that the results of the bacteria analysis were not complete until two days after the incident.

The citizen survey shows that the majority of Hillsborough residents are happy with the quality of water and sewer service.

Water capacity is Hillsborough’s biggest challenge to growth according to Stevens. The current usage of the reservoir in addition to estimated usage of approved projects leaves only enough supply for about 1,900 homes or 1.65 million square feet of commercial space.

Stevens said he anticipates that the town will reach that limit fairly quickly and that it will be decades until an additional reservoir is acquired. The quality and consistency of the town’s water and sewer systems is vital to the town’s overall sustainability.