March 12, 2021 – Allenton, Wi – Some excitement in Allenton as contractors working to put in a manhole assembly on Railroad Street just south of Highway 33 had a sidewall give way Thursday afternoon. Witnesses said a huge geyser shot up as a pipe was pulled completely out of the valve assembly.
The incident emptied the 350,000 gallons in the water tower as the hole on Railroad Street filled with water coming in a 115-pounds of pressure.
Contractors with Highway Landscapers from Little Chute stayed on scene until 2 a.m. to fix the break.
There were several issues that led up to the incident. According to the contractor the crews were attempting to make the hole safe enough to work in along with being dry. A sidewall of the opening gave way and the weight of the water and ground pushed against the water line pulling the pipe out of the valve assembly and that caused the water tower to empty.
According to Highway Landscapers the previous repair to the water line apparently did not have a thrust block installed per state code. Early word is the line may date to 1961 and state code could have been different back then.
Allenton neighbor and local volunteer firefighter Ron Naab said the ground in that area is referred to as “liver sand” because it is gray in color with a high concentration of water.
After the fix, the two well pumps started working to refill the water tower.
Contractors are working on a major road repair and upgrade on County Highway W from Highway 33 south to Highway 175. The first portion of the project from Hwy 33 to Maysteel should be completed by June 1.
Below is the notice from the Washington County Highway Department.
WORK TO BEGIN ON COUNTY TRUNK HIGHWAY W FROM STH 175 to STH 33
Reconstruction of County Trunk Highway (CTH) W, from STH 175 to STH 33 in the Town of Addison is scheduled to begin on Monday March 8th, 2021 and be substantially completed by November. The prime contractor for the project is Michels Corporation from Brownsville, Wisconsin. The construction project will be closed to through traffic from the beginning of March to November, in two stages. Stage 1 will be from Hillcrest Drive (East) to STH 33 and Stage 2 will be from STH 175 to Hillcrest Drive (East).
Reconstruction of County Trunk Highway (CTH) W, from STH 175 to STH 33 in the Town of Addison is scheduled to begin on Monday March 8th, 2021 and be substantially completed by November. The prime contractor for the project is Michels Corporation from Brownsville, Wisconsin. The construction project will be closed to through traffic from the beginning of March to November, in two stages. Stage 1 will be from Hillcrest Drive (East) to STH 33 and Stage 2 will be from STH 175 to Hillcrest Drive (East).
Improvements will include: grading, asphalt, curb and gutter, sanitary sewer, water main, storm sewer, culvert pipes, acceleration/deceleration and bypass lanes, and sight line improvements.
Please follow the posted detour routes utilizing STH 33 and STH 175. Local residents are asked to use extra caution when driving in the construction area and to obey all flagmen and construction signs. Alternate routes should be utilized if possible to avoid delays. Access will remain open to local businesses.
Also note, the Canadian National train that passes through Allenton is now traveling at 5 miles per hour. Naab said the horn, which normally sounds two longs, a short and a long is now blowing one long. The assumption is that is tied to the repairs going on within 300 feet of the track.
Update from Jill Walter Fieweg from the Allenton Sanitary District as of 11:14 a.m.
BOIL/BOTTLE WATER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT
The main break was repaired and water was restored at 2:00 AM. The advisory is now in effect until further notice. We are anticipating getting our 2 sets of test results back by Monday. Watch here or the website for updates. www.addisonwi.org