Water main break disrupts Milton schools

A water main break on Reed Street in Milton caused both H.O. Brittingham and Milton elementary schools to close early April 27.

The break occurred at around 8 a.m.in the center of Reed Street, an alleyway that runs between Clifton and Tilney streets. The break caused the loss of service or low water pressure throughout Milton. Cape Henlopen School District announced that kids would be dismissed from the elementary schools at 1 p.m. 

Mayor John Collier and Town Manager Kristy Rogers were on site as crews attempted to fix the break, which was in close to the same area as a break that happened in June that took workers hours to repair. 

“I don’t know how long it's going to be out; it will be out until it's fixed. We’ve had a leak in this same area before and it decided to leak again today,” Collier said. “We will repair it today and then we’re going to assess and make a decision on how to move forward.”

Collier said the pipe that broke is an old concrete water pipe that, with age, can become brittle and crack. He said the town’s options include possibly declaring the area an emergency, which would help expedite permanent repairs.

When a pipe in the same area broke in June, crews were out until 2 a.m. trying to fix it, as every time they tried to patch a hole, another would pop up.

“We must have replaced 15 to 20 feet of pipe,” Collier said.

Water infrastructure repairs have been an ongoing concern for the town for years, and Milton has done a number of repairs already, including new mains on Atlantic Avenue and Chestnut Street, a new line at Wagamon’s West Shores and a new well and treatment facility at Shipbuilders Village. The town’s Water Committee has been in the process of updating Milton’s 1-7 year capital improvement plan, which prioritizes projects according to need and funding. And while Reed Street is not currently on the list, the list does evolve and Collier said Reed Street might have to move up the ladder.

“We will figure out what we want to do moving forward, but we can’t keep digging holes in this street and patching,” he said