BETHEL – The Water District is keeping intact its ban on nonessential water use for another 48 to 72 hours for 500 customers.
A South Portland diving company has temporarily repaired a major leak in the town’s water main on the bottom of the Androscoggin River, John Head, chairman of the Bethel Water District’s Board of Trustees, said Thursday.
“We’re keeping the ban on washing vehicles and watering lawns and vehicles, but we are in hopes of being able to lift that,” he said.
Water District employees discovered the leak in the the town’s principal water line at its Androscoggin River crossing Sunday morning.
Head said the packing in a joint of the cast iron pipe is what came lose when the joint “somehow got moved.”
The water main, installed on the river bottom in 1889, runs from the town’s water supply, Chapman Brook, located on one side of the Androscoggin, to Bethel village on the other side.
A temporary main was installed by the district and the Bethel Fire Department, using fire hoses that have been chemically disinfected.
Head said that setup would remain in place for now.
Divers from Water Works Diving temporarily fixed the pipe Thursday afternoon, repacking the leaking joint. Over that, Head said, a modified restraining collar was placed.
“There is still a very minor leak, but we’re delivering 145 gallons per minute now,” he said.
Trustees, engineers from A.E Hodsdon of Waterville, the district’s consulting firm, and Main Rural Water Association engineers hoped that when the system went back online at 2 p.m., the district’s 500,000-gallon holding tank would be recharged.
“Our hope is to have it refilled in 48 to 72 hours. We will lift the ban, certainly within 72 hours, unless something unforeseen happens,” Head said.
Trustees now need to meet and discuss replacing the river bottom section.
“We are deeply grateful to our customers, the 500 in the village who are directly affected. They’ve been delightful in curtailing their use of water,” Head added.
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