Cos Cob Water Main Broken [UPDATE]

Updated: 11:10 a.m.

Aquarion Water Co. spokesman Bruce Silverstone said repairs are ongoing on River Road in Cos Cob where a 16-inch water main was broken on Monday.

Water service to the 25 residential customers initially affected by the break  will continue to have service during the repairs that should be completed by 3 p.m., Silverstone said. The office building at 99 River Rd. that has been without service since the line was broken by a Connecticut Natural Gas Co. crew working in front 66 River Rd. Silverstone said the building owner preferred to wait until service was restored rather than accept service from an alternate line that's being used for the other 25 customers. "The office building will have water by 3 p.m.," Silverstone said.

"We may have a little more work to do tomorrow (Thursday). The hole (in the road) will remain open because Connecticut Natural Gas needs to go back in there and finish their work. They will patch the hole," Silverstone added.

Greenwich Police report that the road is open during the repairs.

Updated: 7:00 a.m., Dec. 14:

Aquarion Water Co. crews were scheduled to begin repairs to the broken 16-inch water main on River Road in Cos Cob by 7:30 a.m. today.

Company spokesman Bruce Silverstone said the part needed to fix the pipe was to have been delivered by 3 a.m. today. "They will wait until we have daylight to begin the repairs and it should be completed by mid-afternoon," Silverstone said.

It was unclear whether the road will be closed to traffic in the area of Robertson Lane.

Updated: 5:45 p.m., Dec. 12:

Aquarion Water Co. has reported that 25 of the 26 customers affected by the water main break on River Road in Cos Cob will have service even though repairs won't be completed until sometime Wednesday.

"We are waiting for a part that has to be shipped from Ohio. We're assessing the damage to make sure we everything we need to make the repairs," said Bruce Silverstone, Aquarion corporate communications vice president. "There is a 16-inch water main that is broken and a 6-inch main feeding those homes" in the area, Silverstone added. "We were able to assess a change over (to the 6-inch main) so there is service to those residential customers."

An office building at 99 River Rd. does not have water service, Silverstone said. The 25 residential customers initially affected by the water break now have service. "We believe all those folks will be OK," Silverstone said.

The 90- to 100-year-old pipe was ruptured about 2:30 p.m. by a Connecticut Natural Gas Co. crew working in front 66 River Rd. "The pipe didn't break because of age, it was broken by the gas company," Silverstone added.

Aquarion had to order the replacement part — a device that assists with the flow of water in the system — "because it is a piece that we don't need very often," Silverstone explained.

When asked about whether CNG would be responsible for the repair costs, Silverstone said, "That will be worked out after the (repair) work is completed."

After the break was reported, Greenwich Police closed a section of River Road, near Robertson Lane. Police spokesman Lt. Kraig Gray said in a statement Monday evening, "The hole is going to plated over tonight to allow
traffic. The repair work will require the road to be closed."

Updated at 4:23 p.m., Dec. 12:

Greenwich Police just issued this advisory on the Aquarion Water Co. repair work in Cos Cob. "This is going to be a time-consuming repair job. River Road is going to be closed until at least the evening rush hour tomorrow, Tuesday, December 13th."

Number of customers affected still not known or whether gas company customers also are affected.

Original story: Dec. 12:

A 16-inch water main on River Road in Cos Cob was broken this afternoon by a gas company work crew.

"A (Connecticut Natural Gas Co.) crew was doing work ... They struck and broke a 16-inch main in front of 66 River Rd.," said Bruce Silverstone, Aquarion Water Co. vice president for corporate communications. Shortly after the 2:30 p.m. break, Greenwich Police issued an advisory that the break was near Robertson Lane and that Robertson is closed for traffic.

Silverstone said Aquarion crews "are in the process of shutting down the main," causing loss of water to customers in the area. He also said that until the main is shut, he will not be able to estimate the number of customers affected or how long repairs will take.

Greenwich Patch will update this story as details become available.

*Editor's note: The name of the gas utility has been updated to correct information supplied by Aquarion Water Co.