Taylor Street reopens following water main repair

City Utilities crews have completed repair work of the water main break on Taylor Street and the street has reopened. Earlier today Taylor was closed between Fairfield Avenue and Broadway Avenue because a 100-year-old cast iron pipe broke causing water to wash away dirt and a portion of the street to collapse.

City Utilities has 1,150 miles of water main pipe. Currently we replace about 6 miles of older water main pipe each year. As the system ages and the percentage of pipes over 100 years old continues to grow, City Utilities is hoping to double that amount in the coming years. A difficult task with a tight budget that must cover rising costs of chemicals, electricity and federal unfunded mandates for water treatment.