A water main break in the village of Coxsackie that occurred around 2am Monday has shut down Route 385, put the village under a boil-water alert, and delayed the opening of schools in the village.
A message posted on NY-Alert this morning states that Route 385 (Mansion Street) is closed between Route 9W and Apple Blossom Lane, and instructs drivers to use Plank Road and Bailey Street.
An emergency alert system message from the village sent out to subscribers at 7:15am states that it may be a day or two before the main break can be fixed:
Temporary water supply to the Village is be made by the FD, lower pressure may be experienced. Engineers are on site determining a permanent fix to the 18” main line which may take between 24-36 hours from now.
Mansion St. is closed is the area of Apple Blossom Rd. and a detour is in effect. The boil water remains in effect for the Village only.
Additional alerts will be sent as information becomes available.
The Coxsackie-Athens High School and Middle School, and the Coxsackie Elementary School, are on a two-hour delay. The Edward J. Arthur Elementary School, also in the Coxsackie-Athens district, is on time.
The village of Coxsackie gets more than its fair share of water problems: Water main breaks are a frequent worry in the village. The problem, the Daily Mail reported in February, is the area's acidic soil, and its corrosive effect on the older steel bolts that hold the system's underground valves together:
There’s a pretty simple solution – the village can purchase stainless steel bolts instead, which do not corrode in Coxsackie soil.
But there are hundreds of those bolts buried deep underground throughout the village, and each costs around $25. The cost, combined with the difficulty of digging up all those valves, makes the replacement of all the bolts at one time impractical.
