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Water main break in Niagara Falls still not fixed

A water main break reported on Sunday in Niagara Falls is still causing problems for some residents.

NIAGARA FALLS, NY-- The Niagara Falls Water Board says it will take up until Wednesday for an attempt to be made to fix a break in a major water line.

The break, which involved a 36-inch concrete line, occurred beneath Niagara Falls Boulevard and 47th Street on Friday night.

The break did not leave anyone without water service, but has impacted pressure to a large portion of the city, including Niagara Falls High School which was closed on Monday and Tuesday due to the water main break.

The high school will be open on Wednesday.

Bob Drury, who is Superintendent of Outside Maintenance for the Water Board says a combination of factors has contributed to delays in getting the line fixed.

In addition to the concrete transmission line break, three isolating valves failed, which has
greatly increased the difficulty of repairs, according to Drury.

In addition, the Water Board lacks the “materials and personnel” to complete the repairs itself.

The Niagara Falls Water Board met Monday night for its regular meeting and got a further status update. Chairman Dan O'Callaghan stressed: "It's above our people's expertise. I mean concrete transmission mains are something that are different from what our everyday repairs are."

Crews did partially add some pressure restoration for their system with a mutual aid assist from the Niagara County Water Department.

Further, an attempt to hire an outside contractor to do the work encountered difficulty, according to Drury, when it was discovered that parts necessary to make the fix are not readily available.

The board says it has been working on a new new emergency management plan that it hopes will better address situations like this in the future. As O'Callaghan puts it "Anything that's up and above our capabilities of our maintenance people we would bring in specialty contractors and we'd be able to sign the contract immediately and have them come in within hours."
2 On Your Side asked "Were you surprised that wasn't in place here?
O'Callaghan replied "There's a lot of things that weren't in place here. But...yes I was."

The Water Board changed its leadership roles for commissioners and brought in some new administrators and staffers back in February.

Of course Board Chairman O'Callaghan and the other Water Board commissioners and staffers have been faced with other crises like the Niagara River sewage discharge from this past summer and fall from their antiquated water treatment plant. The operation of the plant drew fire from the State DEC with sanctions and fines for the Water Board. 2 on Your Side asked "Some people may feel there's been a competency problem here with the Water Board and now here with 47th street...what would you say to those people?

O'Callaghan responded "I would say there's no competency problem here. The infrastructure of the city, of the water plant is antiquated. It's history. It needs to be upgraded." He added "The people we have on board now are competent in what they're doing. It's just that you know these situations are happening and it just make it look worse than what it really is."

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