Good afternoon Stoughtonians,
Over the past ten days the town experienced twelve major water main breaks, two of which could be labeled “catastrophic.” This level of system failure is highly unusual and difficult to explain. Our engineers hypothesize that the combination of extreme temperature fluctuations and the unknown impact of January 27th’s seismic activity may be two of the most significant factors.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of our Sewer, Water, and DPW departments. I visited one of the sites on Sunday to thank a dozen of our dedicated employees who tirelessly worked twenty straight hours in response to one of the catastrophic events. As of 2:30 PM today, February 10, we experienced two additional failed water lines in the last six hours. Again, those same employees are prepared to work through the night in order to restore service.
I think it is incredibly important that we understand the true cost of deferred maintenance. Whether a building, a water line, a sewer line, or a $2 million fire truck, we must recognize our responsibility to maintain our assets and to replace them when appropriate. It is never a good investment to kick the can down the road. As such, I also want to thank all Town Meeting members who voted in support of water and sewer projects over the past three years. We warned of such risks and Town Meeting members responded accordingly. I am happy to report that none of the pipes installed in the past three years were affected; in fact, the failed piles were all between the ages of 60 – 90 years old.
Residents should note that the impacted roads will receive immediate temporary repairs; they will be prioritized for repavement in the spring.
Finally, I would like to thank the impacted Stoughton residents. I appreciate your patience and acts of kindness in support of those who worked around the clock. Your thoughtfulness is deeply appreciated by all.
Sincerely,
Tom Calter
Town Manager
