A water main break in South Salt Lake on Sept. 9 affected approximately 60 homes and businesses. City officials say it was an unfortunate but not uncommon event for a city with aging infrastructure.

"South Salt Lake is one of the older cities in the state, and like other older cities has an aging infrastructure,” City spokesman Joseph Dane said. “The city council has been supportive over the last several years and has voted to include funds in the annual budget for ongoing infrastructure upgrades. Public Works will be upgrading approximately 2,300 feet of water main line this fiscal year, which is about the average we budget for each year."

The break occurred at Main Street between Oakland and Stratford avenues and was discovered around 1 p.m. Water to the area was immediately shut off, and city crews were able to fix the break and restore service by 11 p.m. An estimated 175,000 gallons of water were lost during the incident.

The break damaged a small section of Main Street in front of Bonwood Bowl at 2500 S. Main St., and the area was re-asphalted the following week.

Due to the size of the break, South Salt Lake Water utility customers throughout the city were cautioned that they might experience sediment in their taps. A notice on the city’s website advised that the sediment was not harmful but “it is not pleasant to see.”

"Sediment from ground water and corrosion settles at the bottom of water pipes,” Dane said. “When the pressure changes, such as during main breaks, it temporarily stirs up the sediment. The only way to fix this is to replace all old water pipes throughout the city, which takes place through ongoing, annual infrastructure upgrades.”

Those who experienced the problem were advised to flush their water for about 20 minutes. If that did not resolve the issue, they were told to call Public Works.

"Main breaks happen all the time,” Dane said. "We have an old water system and keep chipping away at updates. By the time we're getting close to completion, we'll get to start all over again with the newest and greatest technology.”

On Sept. 9 a water main break occurred at Main Street between Oakland and Stratford Avenues. (Photo courtesy South Salt Lake)