Repairs continue following water main break in Thorsby

THORSBY -- It's been a busy week in Thorsby following a major water main break this past weekend.

According to the township, the break occurred on Mar. 15 by the ARRGO facility and the CP Railroad tracks. At the time of the incident, water was unavailable from the corner of the Water Treatment Plant on 50 Avenue north to ARRGO on 52 Avenue. Crews were immediately dispatched to the area to begin repair work, which has been ongoing throughout this past week.

Thorsby CAO Donna Tona says that a total of two residents and one business were affected by the break, and water was delivered to those properties on Monday. A day later, it was discovered that the break was a clean joint break on cast iron pipe. There was also a two-foot break in to the sleeve that goes under the railroad tracks that the water pipe fits into.

Tona says that at that time, a decision was made to pull the full length of the pipe and replace it. She notes that the township couldn't take the chance of just fixing the break, due to the chance of another rupture under the tracks in the future. In total, more than 70 feet of pipe was replaced in the area. Cementing also took place during the day on Mar. 17, and paving will take place in the spring.