Crew works into morning hours to repair leak

Drivers were making big splashes near the intersection of South Sixth Street and West Harrison Avenue Tuesday evening after a watermain leak flooded the streets.

      Fairfield Water Department utility man Gerrad Goodrich was notified about the problem about 6:30 p.m., and distribution supervisor Dave Ogden was called about 30 minutes later.

      The leak was located about a block east of the intersection near the alley on the north side of Harrison Avenue; noticeable because of a wet, soggy hole in the ground.

      Ogden said he was only aware of one house without water, but the crew planned to repair the leak so water could be restored by morning.

      Before the ground could be dug up so repairs could be made, an Iowa One Call representative had to be called to mark any underground utilities in the area.

      "That's Iowa's law," said Ogden, issuing a reminder that it is illegal to dig without first notifying Iowa One Call.

      "We don't want to lose any lives; that's the important thing," he added.

      Ogden said once Iowa One Call is notified, a representative has two hours to respond, but the wait was not that long Tuesday.

      The crew was able to begin digging about 8:30 p.m. But, Ogden said the leak wasn't where the hole in the ground was, so they had to dig 12 to 15 feet further west before locating the problem. The men replaced the leaking section, backfilled the hole and finish up by about 2 a.m.

For a complete story, read the April 5 Fairfield Ledger.