Water tower emptied, water issues in Hanover area as crews work to repair water main break

A break in a 12-inch water main in Conewago Township led many Hanover and McSherrystown residents to awake on the Fourth of July with water issues.

Hanover Borough Water Department personnel were notified around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 4th, of a break in a major water line that runs along West Elm Avenue in Conewago township, said Hanover Borough Water Department Distribution Supervisor Dale Ault.

The break is in a cast iron 12-inch water main, Ault said, which broke underneath West Elm Avenue near the intersections of Lincoln Street and Garfield Street.

Ault estimated that over 250,000 gallons of water had been lost due to the break, enough to empty the McSherrystown water tower due to its proximity to the break.

While the break has since been isolated, Ault said that local residents should expect a little cloudiness in their water and reduced water pressures while the water tower is refilled.

Crews were actively working on repairing the break as of Thursday morning, and were expected to have all repairs completed by around 5 p.m. that evening, Ault said.

The break caused a large sinkhole to form in West Elm Avenue, devouring most of one of the traffic lanes.

While the break happening on a holiday morning was poor timing, Ault noted that the water department has crews on call 24/7 for incidents such as these and were quickly able to get to work on repairs.

Hanover Area Fire & Rescue Chief Tony Clousher said in a release that area firefighters will be adjusting their responses for fire incidents in order to avoid taxing the water system further.

Britton Coffee Company, which operates a shop on South Street in McSherrystown, shared that the McSherrystown store was closed for the day due to brown water coming out of their pipes.

Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for the Evening Sun. Reach him at hjones@gannett.com.