A leaking water line caused a giant hole to open up Wednesday in the middle of Moyer St. between Hovey and Pontiac streets.
Don Brantley, Superintendent of the Oxford Village Department of Public Works, said the hole was about “6 feet in diameter and 8 inches deep” and located in the roadway in front of 46 Moyer St.
Apparently, the underground water service line to 46 Moyer St. had been “leaking for a while,” causing the earth beneath the road to become heavily saturated, Brantley said. “It was like soup,” the DPW superintendent.
The weakened earth supporting the road’s asphalt surface lead to its collapse and the hole’s appearance.
As for what caused the service line to break or how long it had been leaking, Brantley said, “I have no idea.”
He speculated that either the “old galvanized iron” service line had “rotted” or the earth surrounding the pipe had “shifted” due to the state’s freeze/thaw cycle, causing a rupture in the line.
“It’s been leaking for a while. The longer it leaks, the bigger the hole,” Brantley said.
A concerned parent reported the hole to staff at Oxford Elementary School, who in turn informed the village dispatch center.
The DPW was called to the scene at 4:30 p.m.
Repair work began at 6 p.m. and finished shortly after midnight.
During the repairs, Brantley said it was necessary to shut the water off to all Moyer St. residents for 45 minutes.
The occupants of 46 Moyer St. were without water for 3? hours, he said.
All the waterlogged earth had to be removed from the site and replaced with “clean, dry material,” Brantley said.
A brand new copper service line is now bringing water into 46 Moyer St.
Brantley estimated the total cost for the repair project will be between $1,500 and $2,000.