Plainview Confronts a Rash of Water Main Breaks

A flurry of water main breaks has caused the Plainview Water District to scramble making emergency repairs.

Four seperate breaks occurred since the Christmas weekend blizzard, the commission said.

The water main breaks took place on Dec. 26 and 27 during the storm, and then again the following weekend, on Friday Dec. 31 and Sunday Jan. 2. Water main breaks usually occur during colder weather; the freezing temperatures are the suspected culprit, officials said.

"Because the main breaks are based on the weather, the commissioners are not concerned with the recent main breaks," said Sandy Choi, a spokeswoman for the water district. "It's unfortunately something that cannot be controlled."

Following the Christmas weekend repairs, water district crews went into snowplowing duties in order to maintain access to the various water district facilities. Water outages in the affected areas were kept to a minimum, district officials said.  

“Our trained employees, who have the knowledge and resources to isolate a problem quickly and effectively in the event of an emergency, were out in the bitter cold and worked tirelessly to ensure that the residents would not experience prolonged interruptions in service,” Plainview Water District Commissioner Edward Shulroff said in a statement. “Not only were our employees plowing, snow blowing and shoveling the snow, they also had to contend with emergency water main repairs.” 

The district urges its customers to prepare for internal pipe breaks by locating the main shut off valve in their home to avoid damage. Outside faucets and sprinkler systems should be drained before winter and outside faucets should be turned off to prevent freezing.

The water district's website contains information about the system, which includes 12 twelve deep wells, three ground storage tanks, and its signiture 1.25 million gallon elevated tank. There are 130 miles of water mains serving 32,000 residents. The website is http://www.plainviewwater.org/ 

In the event of a water main break in your neighborhood, residents can call the district at (516) 931-6469, or call 911 in case of an emergency.