for weeks, and dealing with intermittent water outages, including businesses like Cabot Creamery and Aqua ViTea.
That鈥檚 after town officials believe someone tampered with a fire hydrant.
鈥淭here was evidence that somebody had opened the hydrant up and then put it back together wrong,鈥� said Tom Hanley, Middlebury鈥檚 emergency management director, and recently retired police chief. He doesn鈥檛 know when this happened, who did it, or why.
But as the temperature dropped, ice got into the hydrant. When it thawed, water flowed at such a force that it blew apart. There鈥檚 security camera footage of this happening, Hanley said.
Once the hydrant blew up, it created a 鈥減ressure wave鈥� that went through the town鈥檚 water system, including through 100-year-old iron pipes. Pipes broke, valves burst, and there were dozens of leaks in the town鈥檚 main water line.
鈥淭his has caused us to shut the water off in some areas of town where repairs can be made,鈥� Hanley said. 鈥淓verybody else on this part of the system is under a boil water order because we don't know what kind of contaminants got into there.鈥�
The town is also asking people to conserve water.
"We also lost a significant amount of water in our reservoir, which creates its own set of issues, especially if it comes to fighting a major fire or things like that," Hanley said.
He thinks the boil notice could lift as early as mid-week, once the state has adequately tested the water supply. But he anticipates issues with the water system to continue.
"This may be going on repetitively for the next three to six months until we fix everything and make sure everything's back in order.鈥�Tom Hanley, Middlebury
鈥淚t's gonna be like whack a mole 鈥� as we fix one, another one breaks,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his may be going on repetitively for the next three to six months until we fix everything and make sure everything's back in order.鈥�
So far, the town has repaired over 20 breaks, as staff at the town鈥檚 small water department have worked late into the night. Now, they鈥檙e worried about running out of materials needed to make repairs.
鈥淲e don't have the equipment stockpile to deal with that many and we're getting low on resources,鈥� Hanley said.
In a press release, the town of Middlebury said it鈥檚 seeking a local emergency declaration from the governor.
Five-gallon bottles of water are available at Middlebury鈥檚 police station for free, with more coming next week.
So far, repairs have cost close to $500,000 to date.
鈥淭his is not a cheapo,鈥� Hanley said. 鈥淧eople need water, though. We don't have any choice. The system has to be fixed.鈥�
Have questions, comments or tips? .
