Water Line Break Closes Calder Way, Requires ‘Boil Water Notice’ for Businesses

A break in a water line underneath Calder Way closed down part of the alley and temporarily shut off water service to 26 businesses on Wednesday.

State College Borough Water Authority Executive Director John Lichman says the break occurred sometime between midnight and 5:30 a.m., and crews were on site to make repairs shortly after 6:00 a.m.

“This line is around 90 years old, so we believe a crack had been there for a while undetected by us,” Lichman says. “Today, a large piece of it decided to break off.” 

Lichman said the problem was called into the water authority after water began leaking up from beneath Calder Way between Allen and Fraser Streets.

Water authority crews had to turn off water service to the line, cut open a section of the street, repair the crack, and flush any air out of the pipe. Although water service was back on before 5:00, the 26 businesses in effect are now under a “boil water notice.”

Lichman says the water authority typically repairs broken lines while maintaining some internal water pressure to help keep bacteria and contaminates out of the water.  Crews did not have that option on Wednesday because of the size of the hole, meaning there’s a possibility that bacteria got into the water.

The water authority will test the line for bacteria, and Lichman expects to get the all-clear by Friday. In the event that the test shows bacteria in the water, the authority will flush out the lines and continue testing until the water is safe to drink.

The “boil water notice” only applies to the 26 businesses directly serviced by the line, which includes the Good Seed Baking Company, Herwigs Austrian Bistro, the Fraser Street Deli and the State Theatre.

Lichman says not every business along that stretch of Calder Way was impacted because different business right next to each other are often serviced by different lines.

Lichman says the water authority tries to mitigate any risk of leaks by maintaining its infrastructure, but says situations like Wednesday’s line break are fairly common due to the age of the system.

The water authority attempts to keep ahead of these kinds of issues through routine maintenance, but Lichman points out that upgrading water lines is a time consuming process that requires coordination with local government and tearing up heavily-trafficked streets.

“It’s a never-ending battle,” Lichman says.