PORT ANGELES — A faulty water main that flooded Marine Drive on Sunday and sprung a second leak Monday was probably caused by ground movement putting stress on the pipe, Public Works Director Glenn Cutler said.
The pesky 12-inch pipe sprang two leaks on Sunday, keeping city crews at work in the rain from about 8 a.m. until past 9 p.m.
“That [main] was installed in the late 1990s,” Cutler said.
“We believe that the leaks were caused as a result of the ground movement.”
Water service was knocked out to such Marine Drive customers as Castaways Restaurant, the Port Angeles Yacht Club and boats on the west side of the Boat Haven.
Crews repaired the first leak Sunday.
When the line was pressurized, the second leak nearby became evident.
“After repairing the first leak, they pressurized the main and found another leak just slightly east of where the line was,” Cutler said.
“What we suspect is that we were already in the vicinity of it when we were looking for the first one, but it was a smaller leak and the other one had a lot more water coming out of it.
“Once that one was fixed, it pushed all the water over to this leak — so we were able to see it.”
Water spurting through the asphalt was found early Sunday morning, and workers began to dig where the water was coming from, Cutler said.
The crew followed the leak to a spot about eight feet away from the original hole.
The second leak was in the area that crews had first started to dig, Cutler said.
Crews finished repairing the second leak at 2:30 p.m. on Monday and were filling the hole by late afternoon.
Water service was restored to all customers — including the yacht club and Castaways — by midafternoon.
The main is also connected to at least one fire hydrant, Cutler said.
The pipe is buried about 5 feet deep, and all of the water, mud and asphalt had to be removed before workers could assess the damage.
Because the street has a concrete base, a permanent fix on the road will probably await spring, Cutler said.
A temporary fix, such as a patch or a metal plate, will be added in the meantime, he said
“It won’t be completely back to normal and might have some caution signs, but it will be backfilled until we can get a permanent fix in there,” he said.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.
