BOISE – Crews were at work repairing a water main break on the Boise State University campus Sunday night.
United Water got the call around 6:30 p.m. that a major pipe had burst near the intersection of Lincoln and University.
Crews had to dig up the area to get access to the 16-inch pipe. They had to get completely underneath it to safely remove the damaged portion. To prevent more damage, crews shut off the valve.
Workers don't know what caused the break. That will take some time to determine.
No dormitories were affected, but the Student Union didn’t have water while the pipe was being fixed.
Crews hope to have the damaged pipe replaced by 6 a.m. but the road around the area will take a little longer to repair.
Access to University Drive in front of the student union will be limited as these repairs take place. Crews hope to have these repairs completed by noon on Monday.
“This water is under a lot of pressure,” said Mark Snider, the United Water spokesman. “When a main breaks, that pressure has to go somewhere. Generally that means it breaks through the concrete and it takes a lot of dirt, a lot of mud, a lot of rock with it. But our crews will make sure this is wiped clean. We’ll get a street cleaner in here. We’ll clean the street back down so everything will be back to near normal once our crews leave.”
The pipe is considered new - it was built in 1990. Crews are still trying to determine what caused the break as by industry standards the pipe is fairly young.
United Water said those experiencing brown or rusty water are advised to run the cold water until the color clears away.
