Monday’s snowstorm complicated a water main break repair on Elm Street in Peterborough that shut down Shaw’s supermarket for the day and interrupted water service for some residents in the area.
Department of Public Works employees responded at 7:30 a.m. and worked through the storm, finishing the repair on Elm, near the Community Center, around 5:30 p.m., according to Assistant Town Administrator and Director of Public Works Seth MacLean.
MacLean said bad weather and efforts to isolate the broken water main made the repair work more complicated than usual.
“Under normal circumstances, water main repairs are typically completed within four to five hours,” he said. “In this case, crews responded as quickly as possible despite the significant demands created by the heavy snow event.”
Shaw’s closed for the day Monday because of the break and opened for business again at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
MacLean said some residents and businesses in the affected area from Elm Street to Union Street experienced water service interruptions.
The cause of the water main break was unknown. “We’ve experienced a series of breaks along Elm Street over the past few years that we strongly believe are related to aging infrastructure and poor infill materials around the pipe,” MacLean said.