Water main break in Stoneham repaired, line reactivated

STONEHAM — A water main break that impacted several towns in Middlesex County was repaired and reactivated on Sunday morning, according to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.

The break occurred on Friday morning along the Stoneham-Winchester line, impacting communities in Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, Winchester, Wilmington and Woburn.

The break occurred as a result of an MWRA contractor who accidentally drilled through a 48-inch water main along the Stoneham-Winchester line, according to the organization. The pipeline, which lies four-to-eight feet below the ground, was shut off around 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon.

"They were boring to see how deep the bedrock was, so when it came time to put in the new pipe we would know we had X-feet before we hit the bedrock," said Fred Laskey, the Executive Director of the MWRA.

"It was an accident, no one intentionally did it," he added.

Nevertheless, the mistake is being investigated.

The MWRA announced that homes and businesses in impacted communities may experience water pressure issues as well as water discoloration from taps.

"It was very kind of golden-brownish, yellow kind of color," said Stoneham resident Daniel Edie of the water in his bathtub and faucets.

Across the six towns impacted, 150,000 people may have faced discolored water and low pressure.

"Obviously it was a stressful day, trying to make sure that we had uninterrupted water," Laskey said.

Some impacted people may have had sediment in their water stemming from the organization having to switch the water direction in the main pipeline.

"We apologize to those folks who were inconvenienced," he added.

Edie was satisfied that his sink water returned to a normal color, but he is still concerned.

"I [definitley] hope I don't get sick from all the water I drank this morning before we found out," he said on Friday.

The MWRA said there was no widespread reports of discolored water, but those with it were asked to run the water until the tap went clear.

Repair to the pipeline took a couple days, according to the MWRA. That water main was installed in 1976, and needed to have a collar placed around the portion that ruptured.

Cox Media Group