Water Main Breaks

A water main is an underground pipe that delivers water to the customer's service pipe. In Lake Mills it usually runs under the street. If a hole or crack develops in the pipe, the water will typically find its way to the surface. Because the water main is under pressure, water will continue to flow until the break is repaired.

Water main breaks can occur from a combination of issues. First, water main breaks are more likely to occur when frost penetrates deep into the ground, to a level of 5-6 feet, usually from late January until early April. While cold temperatures may send the frost deeper, the level of snow cover is also important. Snow will act as a "blanket" insulating the ground. In years when there is plenty of snow, the frost does not go as deep. The soil shifts as the frost penetrates and leaves the ground. This shifting can cause main breaks.

Water main breaks can also result from external corrosion of the pipe. Lake Mills has areas where the soils can be highly conductive and corrodes the metallic pipe from the outside in. Changing soil conditions can then cause the weakened pipe to break.

The water main repair starts with controlling the water by closing valves. Then we contact other Digger’s Hotline to make sure we can dig without damaging other services or endangering staff or the public. We then dig down to the pipe and depending on the type of failure; we may apply a repair clamp or replace a length of pipe.

This year has been “average” regarding water main breaks. The largest malfunction this year was a 4” hole in the water main on East Lake Street on Friday, 4/26. That main contributing factor to this breakage was due to incorrect installation. Other notable breaks this year due to incorrect installation were on Grove Street and O’Neil Street.