HANSON — A major weekend water main break to a six-inch pipe, which went unreported for an estimated three hours, caused black water to appear in sinks and toilets in some parts of town through Tuesday.
Selectman Don Howard, who is also a water commissioner in town reported at Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting that people were confused about how to get the dark-colored water out of their system.
He said the next water bill will include a slip of paper outlining the proper procedures for any future incidents.
“If there is dark water in your house, don’t run it in the house and try to get rid of it,” he said. “If you have dark water … use an outside [connection] to drain the water off closest to where the meter runs into the house, therefore it doesn’t get all through the house.”
Howard said a lot of people were running indoor faucets to clear the water, and that was incorrect.
He said he was given a gallon jug of pitch-black water that settled clear in a matter of one day, leaving only a small amount of black particles in the bottom of the plastic jug.
“It’s manganese and iron, basically,” he said. “But it was so fine that it completely blackend the gallon jug.”
Howard said the direction of water flow forced the dark particles through the systems.
Water pressure dropped so low that people on High Street and the Whitman end of Whitman Street had no water at all.
“We faced it and took care of it and hopefully all the citizens of Hanson will be happy now that they’ve got clean water,” Howard said.
He said that, as of Tuesday afternoon, the only area still experiencing discolored water was on High Street, with three hydrants still open and running to clear the water, with the aim of it being cleared by 8 p.m.