Pressure main springs a leak downtown

Bigfork Eagle

A pressurized sewer main cracked on Tuesday, April 29 in downtown Bigfork, but was quickly shut off and fixed, according to the Bigfork Water and Sewer Department.

No sewage entered the lake, said district manager Julie Spencer.

The main sprung a leak on Bill Myers' property on Grande Avenue where a pressurized main crosses from the lift station on Lake Avenue to a gravity line.

Spencer, who was out of town when the incident occurred, said that crews noticed water coming to the surface and realized it was right above the main. They then dug it up and patched the pipe, she said.

The pipe at that location is old and was originally slated to be replaced while the department was working on moving a water line along Grande and installing a new lift station, Spencer said. But a construction project on Myers' property to install an retaining wall made the space too crowded and so the replacement hasn't happened yet. Spencer said the pipe would be replaced very soon.

The water project that has resulted in much of Grande Avenue from Bigfork High School to Electric Avenue being dug up should be completed in the next few weeks. Spencer said asphalt was scheduled to go down on Tuesday, May 5 and that once paved, only some cleanup remains.

The new lift station on Lake Avenue next to the Swan River Inn is also completed, she said, except for landscaping and cleanup work at that site.