Middletown water main breaks prompt boil water advisory

More than 2,100 customers of the city of Newport’s Water Division public water system are expected to remain under a boil water advisory for the next several days after a pair of water main breaks on West Main and Valley roads in Middletown.

The breaks were repaired, and water service fully restored, as of 10:45 a.m. Monday morning, Tom Shevlin, a spokesperson for the city of Newport, confirmed in an interview.

The first break occurred Sunday morning, after a bell joint failed on a 24-inch water main on the southbound side of the the state road, Route 114, between the entrances to the shopping plaza home to Staples, The Home Depot, Aldi and other retail stores, according to a notice posted by the City of Newport Public Water System. The break caused a loss of pressure in the system, which increases the risk that untreated water or other contaminants could potentially enter the pipes. The notice includes a map of neighborhoods impacted by the boil water advisory.

The Rhode Island Department of Health issued an alert about the advisory Sunday night, expanding its notice to the area of the second main break Monday afternoon. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. 

Motorists first reported asphalt buckling across the entire width of West Main Road at around 10 a.m. For the remainder of the day, the road was closed to traffic between the access road and Valley Road. Police advised motorists to avoid the area if they could. 

A second break on a smaller, 12-inch main on Valley Road, which connects to West Main Road, occurred sometime “very early” Monday, Shevlin said. Another 136 water customers were affected by the second break, which may have been caused by repairs to the original line, Shevlin said.

“Whenever you work on a system, especially when you’re working on an older system, any kind of work can lead to these residual effects,” Shevlin said.

The cause of the original water main break remains undetermined. Both water lines are over 60 years old, Shevlin said.

The boil water advisory will remain in effect for at least the next two days, even after water service returns. Two rounds of water samples collected 24 hours apart must show the water is safe before the Rhode Island Department of Health can authorize lifting the order.  Shevlin said town residents could see boil water advisories lifted by Wednesday if tested samples show safe levels of bacteria.