Rockingham Times

The City of Dover had four water main breaks on Sept. 29, all of which have since been repaired, but the cause has yet to be discovered.

Three of the breaks took place in the early morning, while one took place in the evening. All of the pipes that malfunctioned in the morning were 1880s vintage cast iron pipes. 

“Community Services Director John Storer, Deputy Director Bill Boulanger and other department personnel are looking at possible issues for why these breaks occurred on the same day,” the City of Dover website said.

Storer thinks that the cause could be a water hammer, which is when a powerful surge of water running through the system creates more force than the pipes can handle. Since hydrant flushing has the potential to create such a surge, the seasonal hydrant flushing has been suspended until the cause of the issue is found.

Older pipes, which have experienced over 100 years of wear and tear, might be less capable of handling a water hammer than newer ones.

The Community Services crew answered a water main break near 121 Broadway at 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 29, and the subsequent breaks occurred near 24-26 Atkinson Street and 39 Hough Street. A final break occurred at 10 Oak Street around 6 p.m. This involved a six-inch cast iron pipe from 1900. 

Investigations are still underway to find the cause of the breaks.