Lessons learned from water main break in Provo over the weekend
Jul 16, 2025, 10:00 AM
Scene where a water main burst in Provo, causing property damage and water outages nearby, on Saturday, July 12, 2025. (Andrew Adams/KSL TV)
(Andrew Adams/KSL TV)
SALT LAKE CITY — It will be another two to three weeks before Center Street in Provo is fully repaired. A broken water main burst through the road Saturday, damaging cars and businesses in the area and shutting down traffic.
Gordon Haight, director of public works at Provo City, said the pipe was only 30 years old and that pipes usually don’t have problems until they are at least 60.
“We don’t anticipate a break like that again, but we’re watching it closely to make sure that we’re correct on our assumption. It just wasn’t a pipe that had come up on our radar,” Haight said.
The pipe that burst was sitting in corrosive soil.
“It has a lot to do with where it was placed, the soil, depending if they’re corrosive or not. There’s a lot of factors. Just because something’s old … doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad,” Haight said.
Now, they can use technology that involves wrapping the pipe to provide added protection.
Haight said all pipes will be inspected for potential problems.
KSL NewsRadio’s Sam Herrera contributed to this report.
