City deals with recent water main breaks; prepares for pothole season

Photo by John Johnson with the Menomonie Community Services Department

Menomonie Minute staff

The above picture has become an all too familiar site for drivers in Menomonie. This winter, the city has experienced five water main breaks, which have disrupted water service and made driving challenging. 

Water main breaks occur for several reasons, but the most common culprits are age and temperature change. The weather was the main factor in the recent breaks in Menomonie. We have had less snow this winter and several stretches of extremely cold weather. 

“When it’s really cold, the frost is driven deeper into the ground. And while it seems counterintuitive, when it warms up quickly, it can drive the frost even deeper,” said Menomonie Public Works Director David Schofield.

As the ground freezes, it contracts, putting pressure on the water mains. This stress can sometimes lead to ruptures. 

David Schofield, Public Works Director

According to Schofield, older pipes are more likely to break. Many water mains installed before 1980 were made of cast iron, which is more brittle and prone to cracking due to temperature changes. Modern pipes are often made of ductile iron, which handles these changes better. Additionally, newer water mains are buried deeper—typically 7 ½ to 8 feet instead of the previous 6 feet—to provide better insulation.

Once a water main is fixed, repairing the pavement is a challenge.

“Repairing a water main break is much different than filling potholes,” said Schofield. “We need to move 8’ of frozen ground and then refill the ground with that frozen material and some extra fill. We can’t repave that area until the spring when the ground stops moving, and things have settled.”

Schofield noted that the city checks the repaired areas every day and fills them when needed. 

The recent break near ConAgra led to reports of brown water by residents. Schofield described it as a big uncontrolled flushing event. The city’s water is high in iron and magnesium, which they do treat for; however, over time, these materials still build up in the pipes, which is why the city flushes the water mains every year. 

“The lower the elevation compared to the city’s water towers, the higher the water pressure. The area down by ConAgra is the lowest elevation in the city with a water pressure of 100 psi,” said Schofield. “We lost 500,000 gallons of water in about an hour and a half on that break.”

Potholes

While the areas where water main breaks have occurred recently have created driving challenges, the scourge of spring - potholes - will be upon us soon, creating more driving obstacles. 

Potholes form when water seeps beneath the pavement, freezing, expanding, and contracting as it melts. This process weakens the pavement, eventually leading to cracks and holes. 

In Wisconsin, roads experience harsh weather conditions. Severely cold temperatures, heavy snowfall, freeze-thaw cycles, and de-icing salt significantly influence the conditions of our roads. Warmer climates are not immune to potholes either. Factors like heavy rainfall, high traffic volumes, and inadequate road maintenance can contribute to pothole formation in any environment.

In the late winter and spring, potholes are fixed with a cold mix—gravel coated in oil—which sets up better than gravel but not as well as hot mix. The cold mix provides a temporary fix until permanent repairs, like spray patching, can be made in the summer.

Once a pothole is fixed, additional rain, snow, and temperature fluctuations can make all attempts to fix the pothole moot.

The best prevention for potholes is crack sealing in the summer. This keeps water from penetrating the small cracks in the surface. These treatments don’t add structural strength to the pavement, but they protect the underlying road from moisture.

“We have 100 miles of city streets in Menomonie,” said Schofield. “That is a lot of roadway, and while we patrol for potholes, we rely on residents calling in to report areas that need attention.”

Residents can report potholes to Community Services Superintendent Dave Frank, 715-232-2302.

Water main breaks and potholes are a reality in Wisconsin. As Menomonie enters spring, crews will continue monitoring water mains and roads and making necessary repairs to ensure residents' safety.

“We appreciate the residents’ patience with the current road conditions at the repaired areas,” said Schofield. “The road crews are doing their best.”