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1. Why do water mains break?

We are not able to say with certainty the exact cause of most water main breaks. We do know that there are several factors that contribute to water main breaks: age of pipe, type of pipe, soil and construction conditions when the pipe was installed, and temperature.

Pipe age and type: We find that post World War II cast iron pipes in our system made between 1945 and 1955 have a higher occurrence of failure. Cast iron pipes accounted for 70 percent of our repairs and breaks since 1992, but made up 80 to 85 percent of our repairs and breaks in the past five years. Other cities with similar pipe vintage have similar pipe failure rates.

Temperature: As temperatures move in and out of freezing, it’s not uncommon to see breaks occur.

2. What are the statistics for water main breaks in Everett?

From 2017 to 2022, the City has averaged 23 main breaks per year. The City's average number of water main breaks is 5.54 breaks per 100 miles of pipe for the 2017-2022 period.

Water main breaks per year:

2022 – 24 breaks

2021 – 22 breaks

2020 – 18 breaks

2019 – 24 breaks

2018 – 16 breaks

2017 – 34 breaks

3. What do repairs entail?

When a water main breaks, Public Works staff may have to take that section of pipe out of service depending on the type of break. Homes and businesses that are on that line of pipe will have no or low pressure during the repair. If we need to take the pipe out of service during the break we will turn off your service at the meter; if no meter, the line may drain out. Crews will place notices of the service interruption on door fronts.

What you could see:
Crews have to excavate the site of the break to safely access the pipe, which will require setting up and establishing a work zone; this may be in the street, sidewalk, or in the right of way in your front yard. We will close a street, if needed, or otherwise make preparations to do an emergency repair, necessitating the presence of several City vehicles. The work may require the use of cutting instruments and jackhammering to remove sidewalk or pavement. A large vactor truck will be used to carefully excavate soil and debris around the pipe and draw up escaping water while work is being done. In most cases, we will turn the water down but not off – to keep positive water pressure on the break site, preventing debris from entering the pipe.

Depending on the type of break, it may be repaired or a section of pipe may be replaced completely. Once the break is repaired or replaced, crews will backfill the excavated site, pouring fill material from a dump truck and evenly distributing and compacting it on the work area. We will watch the repair site for a couple of days, and, then Streets crews will restore sidewalks and road surfaces to original condition. Cleanup of debris on yards and roadways is usually the same day as the break, provided we do not have freezing conditions.

The water in the pipe gets flushed through and is then disinfected for delivery. We do have a distinct process for bringing a main back in service to meet our water quality and purity standards. We flush and also provide contact time with a chlorine disinfectant. We will not reopen customer services until our water has no turbidity and meets the appropriate water quality standards.

4. What should I do if my home or business has been without service during repairs?

Main breaks are an upset to our distribution system, which means pressure may be lost and sediment can be stirred up in our system during the break. Your service line could be impacted, and if after a break sediment or discoloration is present, we request that your run water until it runs clear (running the water in a bathtub is recommended, if possible). Homes that have been without service should run their water for up to 30 minutes to clear any turbidity and air from the lines once service resumes.

Though water may appear discolored, it is safe, but we recommend that homeowners flush it until it is clear before using. If after 30 minutes if this persists, please call our after hour number 425-257-8821.

5. How do water main breaks affect the Public Works budget?

The Public Works budget accounts for the need to staff unexpected events. The nature of our work involves responding to unplanned circumstances that demand immediate attention. Crews are accustomed to responding on an on-call basis.

6. What is the City’s long-term plan for replacing these lines?

The City has a two-prong plan to proactively address potential water main breaks. We gather and analyze data on main breaks to project what sections show a propensity to break and prioritize replacement based on that. Our Maintenance division performs routine pipe replacement, blocks at a time and uses city crews and small works contractors. Our Engineering division develops those projects with a larger scope, fitting them into our Capital Improvement Program. Current water main replacement projects can be found in the Current and Planned Projects section of the City website.

7. How do Everett’s water main breaks compare to cities across the United States?

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) reports the national average is 270 water main breaks per 1000 miles of pipe (or 27 per 100 miles of pipe). The City of Everett’s average number of water main breaks is 5.54 breaks per 100 miles of pipe for the 2017-2022 period.