Leak repaired at city water plant

By Melinda L. Lucas

Albany city manager Billy Holson reported last week that city employees, along with workers contracted from Raydon Construction, had located the source of a major leak at the municipal water plant after a search that lasted several days.

“A line that supplies all the water to run the plant was leaking underneath the foundation, and the blueprints that we have weren’t accurate in showing us where the line was,” said Holson. “It took us a while to find the source after water started coming through the floor in several places.”

The “Schedule 80” industrial pipe that was used in the construction of the facility, which started operation in 2010, has been involved in about 15 leaks over the past decade, but this is only the second one underground and the first one of this magnitude, said the city manager.

He hopes the repair cost will largely be covered by insurance, although he will assess the feasibility of filing a claim once all the invoices and the adjuster’s report are in hand.

Holson said that the line had apparently been leaking for some time, because it had “washed out” part of the pipe and caused a “void” under the concrete.

The news was good, however, in a report received Monday night from engineers who inspected the damage. Their study showed that the structural integrity of the foundation was intact, and no further work needed to be done other than repacking the holes with dirt and pouring new concrete.

There was no disruption of water service.

“Albany residents need to know that our guys do a really good job, and we are fortunate to have them,” said Holson.