City Engineer Tony Trotter said the 12-inch-diameter pipe had a ”Nerf football sized hole” in it.

”It completely failed,” he said.

He said no one lost water service as a result of the pipe breaking.

The water main break was discovered at about 6 p.m. Tuesday. Fort Dodge Public Works Department employees worked through the night to make repairs. The work was done at about 7 a.m. Wednesday.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Floodlights illuminate the intersection of Central Avenue and 15th Street late Tuesday night as Fort Dodge Public Works Department employees repair a water main break.

The water that bubbled up from the broken pipe swamped the intersection and undermined the concrete panels that form the road surface. That concrete was put down last year when the intersection was rebuilt to provide turning lanes.

Trotter said last year’s project was mostly a paving job that did not address utilities other than a storm sewer. He said the water main that ruptured was installed in 1935, and added that water mains can last 100 years.

”This water main had not had historic issues,” he said.

Because there had been no trouble with the water main, it was decided to not replace it during last year’s intersection project, according to Trotter.

”We chose to save some money,” he said.

The intersection will remain closed until final repairs can be made and new paving can be put down.