Vinton Street Back As Likely Cause Of Water Main Break Emerges

MELROSE, MA — Vinton Street is reopened and should be better than ever when all work is complete, but there is still no definitive cause of the water main break that flooded a busy intersection and ruptured the road nearly two months ago.

While representatives from the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority were hesitant to definitively say what may have caused the April 27 break, Department of Public Works Director Elena Proakis Ellis said a large break at a Wakefield pump station earlier in the afternoon likely contributed to it.

"In my mind, there's no way they're unrelated," Proakis Ellis said at Monday night's Appropriations Committee meeting.

MWRA Chief Operating Officer David Coppes revealed that Wakefield reported the break about six hours before Melrose experienced its water main break, but stopped short of saying it was definitely the cause.

"We basically don't have conclusive evidence of what caused either of the failures," Coppes said.

Still, Copppes said the Melrose main was found to be constructed in an area where rock was removed and put back in — an outdated practice — surrounding the main in sharp rocks. If there's movement in the pipe, those shards of rock can puncture it.

Whatever the cause, there "is no indication" the break was caused by the nearby work at the Lynn Fells Parkway Bridge Replacement project, Coppes said. The loud, sometimes vibrating work has been thought by some to have contributed to the break.

Vinton Street, which was closed for weeks following the break, has been reopened to traffic. The MWRA and city took the opportunity to modernize and replace some infrastructure.

"We try to leave the area in a better state than we started," Coppes said.

The pavement on Vinton is temporary until the spring, but when the road is officially settled it will likely be improved. Proakis Ellis said she hopes a climbing lane for bicycles will be in the finished product.

The request for information on the break was brought forth by City Council John Tramontozzi.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook