How Portland Water Bureau Crews Fix A Broken Water Main
Hot and cold, weekend and weekday, our crews work around the clock to make sure water keeps flowing to homes and businesses across the Portland area.
Cold weather can cause underground water main pipes to burst -- like what happened on Monday, Christmas Day, on SE 82nd Ave. On the surface, main breaks can look like leaks bubbling up out of the street, and, in extreme cases, the water can cause sink holes and flooding.
A simple water main repair can be completed in six to eight hours, but large or complicated repairs may take several days to a week.
So how do our crews fix a broken water main? There's 6 major steps from detection to repair.