What's behind Deerfield's string of water main breaks
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Deerfield Township has sprung a leak. And another. And another.
Why it matters: Seven recent water main breaks may sound like a lot, but county officials working to replace the aging infrastructure say this isn't a major departure from what they normally see.
Driving the news: Mason-Deerfield Times reports Warren County has dealt with at least seven water main breaks in the township since late May, including a break earlier this month that disrupted service to homes on Carriagegate and Sablegate lanes.
- The Times lists other reported breaks around Halyard and North Harbor, Saddleback, Rosemont and Rosebrook, Erin Court and White Pine, Bowline, and Farmfield and Fox Run.
Between the lines: The string of breaks comes as Deerfield continues to grow alongside the rest of Warren County, raising an obvious question: Is something going wrong underground?
The answer: Not necessarily.
- "We haven't seen a huge spike," Warren County Water & Sewer Department director Chris Brausch tells Axios.
What's happening underground: Officials say water mains can break for a dozen different reasons, making it difficult to point to a single culprit.
- Age: Parts of Warren County's water system are getting older. The county spends money each year replacing aging water lines and has replaced significant stretches around State Route 48 and Kings Mills.
- Water hammer: Closing a hydrant or valve too quickly can create a pressure surge — essentially a shock wave traveling through the system — that can make pipes rattle and potentially contribute to a failure.
- Construction: Directional drilling and other underground work can accidentally strike or damage a water main.
- Mother Nature: Shifting ground can also put stress on buried pipes.
Yes, but: The county is replacing some aging infrastructure. Deerfield and Warren County are pursuing a project that would replace about 3,100 feet of existing water mains in the Greenfields neighborhood, with the project targeting state infrastructure funding for FY 2028.
The bottom line: There's no water main whodunit here, just an aging system, underground hazards and plenty of ways for a pipe to spring a leak.