Water main breaks, drains Peabody tower

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

A water main rupture Sept. 26 in Peabody drained the entire city water tower and the city was put under a boil water advisory.

City clerk Jylle Wilson said water was gushing out of the ground like “a very large fountain” when a resident spotted it on 5th St. between Locust and Plum Sts. at 10 p.m. The break was located six blocks from the water tower.

A crack in a six-inch pipe was six feet long, Wilson said.

Peabody water workers, with help from Hillsboro water workers, spent all night repairing the leak. They finished the job at 6:30 a.m. Sept. 27.

After the tower refilled, the boil advisory was lifted Thursday.

Peabody’s water is provided through Hillsboro.

“There were some issues that we need to further address regarding safety and technical assistance with the Peabody crew members,” Hillsboro city administrator Matt Stiles said. “I will be meeting with our staff to discuss the concerns we have about the situation later this week.”

A couple of weeks earlier, another main ruptured a couple of blocks away, Wilson noted.

The city long has known it needed to replace its water system.

City council members have applied for a loan or grant to replace the system, Wilson said.