This is an update on the Cleveland Water Main Failure

This afternoon's breaking news report of Breaking Water Mains in Florida makes this story even more timely.

For those who want a clearer understanding concerning why these stories are important, I have included a link to the breaking Florida story and all of the links and threads to the Cleveland story below:

Workers join in reopening of E. 9th St.

Thursday, January 20, 2000

By ALISON GRANT PLAIN DEALER REPORTER

With a few snips from a scissors, workers yesterday marked the completion of repairs to a downtown street and a subterranean maze of utility lines, all damaged when a 36-inch water main burst last week. Scores of workers in hard hats gathered with Mayor Michael R. White to reopen the intersection of E. 9th St. and Rockwell Ave. - six days, 23 hours and 10 minutes after a geyser tore a gaping hole in the street during the evening rush hour Jan. 12.

"Im going to ask our employees to walk up and do something thats usually reserved for the mayor," White said just before workers cut yellow police tape in front of the newly repaved street.

The repair job, done by city workers in cooperation with several utility companies, was an around-the-clock ordeal in subfreezing weather. White described it as "one of the largest infrastructure reclamation projects in the citys history."

Besides fixing a 7-foot hole in the water main, workers rebuilt a crushed brick sewer pipe and repaired electrical, steam, gas and fiber-optic lines. Lending a hand were ironworkers, engineers, pipe fitters, bricklayers, carpenters, electricians and, of course, plumbers.

"We wore them out," said Jim Patton, head of service and maintenance for the Department of Public Utilities. Not everyone was happy with the citys performance, however. Robert Schaeffer, operations manager for the company that owns the Superior Building, said he was left to his own devices in getting his basement-flooded building reopened five days after the break.

Schaeffer said he asked the Fire Department for sandbags to block a sidewalk grate where water gushed in, but was told none were available. He also asked the city to run a temporary gas line into the building for heat, but was refused.

"They were kind of concerned with their own problem and everyone else could go scratch," he said. City officials did not respond to a request for comment on Schaeffers complaints. The city has not yet calculated the cost of the water main explosion, nor do officials know why it occurred. But they might soon be in a better position to find out. The American Water Works Association, a national organization of water managers and engineers, is about to undertake a new study of aging urban water systems. Leading the study will be Cleveland Water Commissioner Julius Ciaccia.

Link to Story:

http://www.cleveland.com/news/pdnews/metro/cc20open.ssf

Link to Breaking Florida Story:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002Mvq

There are a number of previous stories and links concerning this major infrastructure failure in Cleveland: 1) Cars to pour down E. 9th Wednesday, officials say

Link:

http://www.cleveland.com/news/pdnews/metro/c17water.ssf

2)Update: Delay in Cleveland Watermain Repairs

Link to Thread:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002LdB

Repair of water main expected to take 5 days

Link:

http://www.cleveland.com/news/pdnews/metro/c14subb.ssf

"Don't blame old lines for flood in Downtown Cleveland, experts say Friday, January 14, 2000

Link:

http://www.cleveland.com/news/pdnews/metro/

Link to later TB2000 Thread on Water Main Failure:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002Jjt

Link to original TB 2000 thread on Cleveland Water Main Breaking:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002IqX

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 20, 2000

Answers

Tell you what. I know personally a few of the guys that were honsho- ing that job and they can be DAMN proud of the way it turned out. Every time they dropped a shovel, they found something else. The guys and gals that did the job deserve EVERY PENNY of OT Pay they are going to bill for.

Chuck

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 21, 2000.