LISA HOBBS - News Editor
A McMinnville Water and Sewer Department crew is currently working on a major water line break on West Main Street, between Hardee’s and D.C. Tires.
“We think it’s a 16-inch water line, but we won’t be sure until we get it dug up,” said Ricky Morton, department director. “Our maintenance crew is on it. We’re probably going to have to replace that section of pipe. They should get everything isolated… valve it down and isolate that system. It’ll take us a while, but we’ll get it fixed.”
Morton is unsure what caused the break or how long it will take to correct, “Just bear with us. We may have a few people out. We’ve got to see which valve we can valve off, get it isolated and get it replaced.”
One witness, who took the pictures and sent them to Warren County Way, reported that water is coming up from under the roadway in more than one area. Morton wasn’t on scene and could not verify the accuracy of that statement.
“If the water line break is in the road, then we will dig it up, pack it and public works will come back and pave it.”
Main water line breaks like this one aren’t common in the city of McMinnville, says Morton, with the last one occurring in the early 2000s or mid-2000s.
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