For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Groveland Water and Sewer Dept. Works Through the Night to Repair Water Main Break at Pentucket Regional Middle and High School

Ring Crack in 1960’s Era Main Resulted in Failure

GROVELAND — Superintendent Thomas Cusick reports that the workers from the Groveland Water and Sewer Department worked for nearly nine hours on Tuesday to repair a nearly 60-year-old water main that failed, resulting in a loss of water service at the Pentucket Regional Middle and High Schools.

Crews were on-scene shortly after 2 p.m. and began work to locate, expose, and isolate the break. Groveland brought in the East Coast Excavation company, and a trench was dug from the school-side of Main St. (Rt. 113) to an area near the exit of the school complex. A ring crack in an 8-inch water main dating to the 1960s was eventually located and repaired, and water service was restored to the school complex at approximately 10 p.m. 

Roadway patch and repair work is expected to be completed this week.

Superintendent praised the diligent work of the Water and Sewer employees and contractors.

“While our residents prepared for the evening in the warmth of their homes, our Groveland Water and Sewer Department staff and our friends at East Coast Excavation worked outside in below freezing conditions to dig a sizable hole in the road so that they could locate and repair this break and avoid our children losing a day of school,” he said. “I am very proud of their hard work and dedication to the task at hand.”

While Pentucket Regional Middle School has long been served by the Groveland for water, the High School only began receiving water from Groveland in the past few years, after a serious failure at the High School’s connection to the West Newbury Water Department. For that reason, both schools will be without water until the break can be repaired.  

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