SAULT STE. MARIE — City crews in Sault Ste. Marie spent the day repairing a water main break a few blocks from Lake Superior State University.
The break occurred on a 66-year-old, 6-inch line just after 8:30 a.m. on Ryan Avenue just south of West 5th Avenue. Around 20 houses were affected by the leak, however, the university was not affected.
The break is one block away from a water main break that occurred last Thursday on 4th Avenue. That pipe was repaired within a few hours, however, this one took more time because of additional obstacles, officials said.
“That one that we had the other day, it was open field. No frost to deal with. We were able to dig straight down. We had no other obstacles like gas lines or any sewer,” Arnie Hallai of the Sault Ste. Marie Water Department said. “This one, we had a gas line that was about two feet away so that caused a little bit of an issue. Not just a gas line, it was a gas main.”
The aging pipes along that section of Ryan Avenue are expected to be replaced over the next couple years.