Pipe Break Cuts Off Water In Kellogg

The taps were dry in Kellogg, Smelterville and part of Wardner on Friday, after an underground pipe connection broke.

The problem arose during construction of the Milo Creek Project, which is designed to improve the flood-prone drainage system that carries the creek under the streets of Wardner and Kellogg.

The connection was repaired and water service was restored after 5 p.m.

Water was intentionally turned off from 9 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday, said project manager Glenn Jackson. That allowed workers to install a 15-inch water main under Division Street. Around 5:45 a.m., after the pipe was lowered and the concrete above it had cured, the water was turned back on, Jackson said.

Five minutes later, there was an eruption of water at the intersection of Division and Station Avenue. An old water main had pulled out of the coupler that connected it to the new pipe, Jackson said.