MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – Town officials say pipe repairs to fix the water main issues plaguing Middlebury are nearly complete, and all boil water notices should be lifted by the end of the week.
Last week, officials found a fire hydrant frozen in an open position, creating a strong surge of water that caused breaks throughout the town’s nearly 100-year-old pipe system.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott declined the town’s request for a local emergency declaration, but town officials worked quickly to restore the pipes.
With just a few repairs left, the town will send water samples to the state for testing. They hope to lift the boil water notices this week. They say they’ve flushed the system with chlorinated water which should reduce potential bacterial contamination.
Middlebury Emergency Management Director Thomas Hanley says police aren’t sure who opened the fire hydrant or why.
“We may never know,” Hanley said. “But the thing is, we have to move on to make sure this doesn’t happen again and to make sure our system is back in order the way it should be.”
Hanley says the town is putting more rigid rules in place around who can access fire hydrants.
He says Middlebury is slated by the state for pipe repairs and he hopes another pressure wave doesn’t happen before then. The town is opening several fire hydrants this week in an effort to release extra air and flush the system.
Residents without potable water can pick up free water at the police station. The town encourages residents to share with neighbors who can’t pick up their own.
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