Press Release

For Immediate Release

July 28, 2026

Contact:

Jennifer Rose

Press Secretary, Office of Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski, Jr.

Email: Jrose@waterburyct.org

Update: Approximately 5,100 Homes and Businesses Expected to Lose Water Service Due to Major Water Main Break

(WATERBURY, CT) The City of Waterbury is providing an update on the major water main break reported early Tuesday morning on Tompkins Street near Kaynor Technical High School.

Water Department crews have remained on scene since the break was reported at approximately 4:45 a.m. and continue working alongside Dayton Construction to prepare for repairs.

Approximately 5,100 homes and businesses are expected to lose water service beginning sometime this evening. Because of the break, water is no longer able to replenish the Clough Road storage tank. Once the water currently stored in the tank is depleted, customers served by the tank will lose water service until repairs to the transmission main are completed. Those customers have been notified through the City's Alert Waterbury Reverse 911 system.

During excavation, crews determined the break occurred at a bend in the transmission main, requiring a specialized fitting that is not typically kept in inventory due to its uncommon configuration. The necessary replacement parts are expected to arrive beginning Wednesday and continuing into Thursday morning. Crews are preparing the site now so repairs can begin immediately upon their arrival.

If all goes according to plan, repairs could be completed as early as Thursday evening, with all work expected to be completed before the start of the weekend.

Waterbury Hospital is not expected to lose water service but has contingency measures in place should conditions change.

"After crews exposed the damaged section of the transmission main, it became clear this repair would require a specialized fitting because of the location of the break," said Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski, Jr. "Our Water Department crews and Dayton Construction have been working since early this morning to prepare the site so repairs can begin the moment the replacement parts arrive. We understand the impact this will have on the thousands of residents and businesses affected, and we appreciate everyone's continued patience as we work to restore water service safely and as quickly as possible."

Once water service is restored, all homes and businesses that experienced a loss of water service will be placed under a boil water advisory. The advisory is a standard public health precaution following a loss of water and will remain in effect until required water quality testing confirms the water is safe for normal use.

Restaurants and other food service establishments affected by the outage should not reopen until the boil water advisory has been lifted or an approved alternative water source has been obtained.

Additional updates as they become available, including a more specific repair timeline and information regarding the eventual lifting of the boil water advisory, will be provided through Alert Waterbury, the city's website, and official social media channels.