Milford residents shared pictures of their discolored city water on social media Dec. 13 after an unmarked water main was damaged in a vacant lot across from Oak Circle.
T & H Construction bored through the 6-inch main that was not identified on a city locate map when laying fiber optic lines. The break caused thousands of gallons of water to pour from the ground before the break was able to be isolated.
“The break today was a doozy and pulled really hard on the system with the amount of water lost,” Gary TeSelle, city maintenance supervisor, said Dec. 13. “A big water main break like we saw today causes the water in our system to be stirred up. The Milford water is treated with phosphorus for lead and copper treatment to make it safe for consumption. However, this causes it to be discolored. The city then chlorinates the water to make it clear, even though it is safe without it.”
Phosphorus that is needed to protect against lead and copper creates algae in the water main, TeSelle said. Chlorination keeps the algae from building up – that’s what causes the discoloration – and makes the water clear.
“In the event of a big pull on the water system, like a fire or main break, the best thing to do is run the tap to clear out the system in your residence,” TeSelle said.
The city is working on updates to the water system and plans to go out for bids on main replacement in January 2023.
