Tiny leak in 1871 pipe vexes Northampton water crew

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - A water main break below the intersection of State and Main streets in Northampton is proving more difficult to find than members of the Water Department anticipated.

"We would much rather be dealing with a major main break, so that we could locate it easily," said Water Department Superintendent David Sparks. "The pipe we are working on was put down there in 1871, and it seems to have a very small leak in it."

Aside from the extreme cold weather, Sparks said the location of the break has made pinpointing the source more difficult than expected.

"That intersection is a very difficult place to excavate. We have to deal with a number of different utilities under the ground there, including a sewer pipe and a major gas main. And when you add in the amount of traffic we are dealing with, it can make it much harder."

Last week, members of the Department of Public Works attempted to locate the source of the break by using a "leak correlator," a special acoustic instrument meant for finding small cracks in underground pipes.

The result, Sparks said, was the realization that the break may be located away from the center of the intersection.

"We now believe that this leak is coming from somewhere located about 6 feet toward State Street," said Sparks. "We believe that we have it pinpointed."

The small size of the break and today's impending snowstorm, Sparks said, would delay repairs on the pipe until Friday at the earliest.

Because of the snow forecast, all of the Water Department's employees will be out plowing, said Sparks. "If this was a real emergency situation, we would be down there around the clock to fix it, but because we are dealing with such a minor leak, we are waiting for the weather to break."

If the hole in the pipe were to suddenly increase in size, Sparks said, the department has already located isolation valves under the intersection and are prepared to stop the flow of water, if necessary.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.