Saugus officials on edge following year’s 25th water main break

SAUGUS – It took crews from the Department of Public Works until 2 a.m. Wednesday to repair a water main break on Route 1 north near Kowloon. And, while the break wasn’t a major one, DPW chief Joe Attubato said it was the 25th in Saugus since Jan. 1 and the fourth on Route 1.For the last 15-20 years, the DPW has been replacing water mains around Saugus using funds from a no-interest loan from the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority, but the nearly 100-year-old lines on Route 1 between Main and Walnut streets are still causing major problems for area businesses and traffic.According to Attubato, when Route 1 was still the two-lane Newburyport Turnpike, the state came in and widened it to three lanes but never moved the existing main pipeline.”I don’t know who screwed up, but they left the main there and now we’re living with it,” said Attubato.The town has been able to piggyback on an MWRA project to replace a water main on Route 1 north from the Lynnfield line to the Lynn Fells Parkway. That $2.5 million project started nearly two months ago and is expected to take up to two years.But Kowloon owner and Selectmen Chairman Donald Wong said the old iron water mains near his restaurant are the biggest headache for him and his fellow business owners.”Of course everyone is upset,” said Wong. “If a water main breaks, their water gets shut off and they have to close. Many restaurants have had to close in the past. I think it affects all businesses and it affects traffic not just for everyone in Saugus, but for everyone on the North Shore. If you’re going to the airport from Peabody or Danvers and there’s a water main break, you’re late for your flight.””The main thing is trying to find money in the budget,” added Wong. “I hope the state would help with this and get the other state reps on the North Shore to help.”But while replacing the existing water main may seem like a no-brainer, Town Manager Andrew Bisignani said a potential $3.5 million price tag has kept the town from doing anything more than repairing leaks when they spring up.”It’s a Band-Aid approach right now,” said Bisignani. “We have improved in some areas. The Shops at Saugus upgraded their utilities. There’s no question that it has to be done. But the town just doesn’t have the resources.”Bisignani said he’s met with the MWRA and the Massachusetts Highway Department, but both have said the water mains are a town issue.”The state has not accepted responsibility,” said Bisignani. “When that road was widened, they should have moved the water main. They left it in place and now we’re paying the price. We’re working on getting some state and federal aid and making it an economic issue. We met a few weeks ago with MWRA to find some way, but they don’t have the money in their own budget either.”With the announcement that Walmart will be opening a new store on Route 1 North near McDonald’s, any developer at that site is required to upgrade the existing pumping station and water main. No decisions or plans have been made yet with regards to this, but Attubato said roughly 800 to 1000 feet of water main would have to be upgraded, which should improve the situation.”That would be a big help to replace that part of the lines at the very least,” said Attubato.