The broken water main at the Rockland water treatment plant has been fixed, but Abington residents are being asked to conserve water for one more day so tanks can refill.
“We have made the repairs and we are processing water to fill the clear well,” Abington/Rockland Joint Water Works Superintendent Joe LaPointe said. “Levels are still low so we just ask people to conserve. Hopefully we will be able to gain overnight.”
The break happened Sunday at the John Hannigan Water Treatment Plant in Rockland, one of three treatment plants that service the system. The Witherall Water Treatment Plant, located at Great Sandy Bottom Pond in Pembroke, and the recently refurbished Myers Avenue wellfield in Abington remained online.
LaPointe said the ppipe that broke was 50 years old.
The clear well is a large underground reservoir that holds extra water for peak hours, when the treatment plants aren’t able to process enough water to meet demand. Peak hours occur in the morning when residents are preparing for work and school, and at night when families are cooking dinner, washing dishes, getting ready for bed.