When another major water main broke beneath Tompkins Street on July 29, more than 5,100 homes and businesses across Waterbury lost running water. Residents in the Bunker Hill, Town Plot, and the Country Club neighborhoods were informed that they could be without service for days. At the same ti me, city crews worked around the clock to repair the damaged transmission main. Once repairs were completed, a second water-main break occurred beneath Tompkins Street, impacting more than 15,000 homes and businesses while under a boil-water advisory. For many residents, the disruption was frustrating but not surprising. After multiple major water emergencies in less than a year, a growing question has emerged: Why does this keep happening? The answer isn’t a lack of effort from city workers. Instead, it lies beneath the streets of the Brass City. Waterbury’s water system dates back more than 150 years. The Waterbury Water Company was incorporated in 1859, and the city’s first municipal water system was approved in 1867. While the water system has expanded and has been modernized since then, portions of its infrastructure that we’re seeing today were installed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some transmission mains still in service date back to 1895, 1901, and 1905, while another 42-inch transmission main was installed in 1960. Many of these pipes have now exceeded their expected service lives. Age alone does not guarantee failure, but it rapidly increases the risk, and as it continues to age, we’re going to keep seeing more water main breaks across the city. Older cast-iron and prestressed concrete pipes become more susceptible to corrosion, shifting soil, freezing temperatures, increased water pressure, and decades of wear and tear. As these materials weaken, they can trigger catastrophic breaks capable of disrupting water service for entire sections of the city, like we’re seeing today. In September 2025, a 30-inch transmission main on Huntingdon Avenue failed after an aging air-relief device malfunctioned. The incident led to widespread service interruptions and a boil-water advisory that remained in effect until laboratory testing confirmed the water was safe. During repairs, crews also discovered that an aging isolation valve could no longer be completely closed, complicating the emergency response. Only months later, Waterbury experienced one of the most significant infrastructure failures in its history. In December 2025, a leak from a deteriorating 10-inch pipe installed in 1901 washed away the soil supporting a nearby 36-inch transmission main on Thomaston Avenue. Eventually, the larger pipe collapsed, leaving nearly 100,000 residents in Waterbury, Watertown, and Wolcott without water for several days. Schools closed, businesses shut down, bottled water distribution sites were established across the city, and the Connecticut National Guard assisted local emergency operations. Water pours from a water main break on Thomaston Avenue in Waterbury on Dec 13, 2025 Credit: Mark Pazniokas / CT Mirror City officials announced that emergency repairs, overtime, bottled water distribution, and related response efforts cost millions of dollars, claiming investments have been made to strengthen the system. Including rehabilitation of two miles of Waterbury’s 42-inch transmission main through a slip-lining project completed in early 2026. The city has also fast-tracked work on valve replacements, pump upgrades, and system modernization.. These projects are encouraging, but they should represent the beginning, not the end, of Waterbury’s infrastructure strategy. Instead of waiting for another major break, the city should be investing in a long-term pipe replacement program. Every transmission main should be evaluated according to its age, material, break history, and importance to the overall water system. The oldest transmission lines, specifically those installed before World War I, should receive priority for replacement before they fail. Funding remains the greatest challenge, but it is not an impossible one. Waterbury has already included $18 million in Bureau of Water capital improvements within its current five-year Capital Improvement Plan, while other projects have been proposed through Connecticut’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. Continued pursuit of state and federal infrastructure grants will be crucial if the city hopes to replace aging mains without placing the entire financial burden on ratepayers. Water main breaks are often described as emergencies, but in reality, they are symptoms of a much larger problem. The recent failures beneath Huntingdon Avenue, Thomaston Avenue, and now Tompkins Street were not isolated incidents; they were warnings from an aging infrastructure network that has served Waterbury for generations. The city’s water system helped build Waterbury into the community it is today. Now, more than a century later, Waterbury faces a choice: Continue short-term responses to emergencies or make the investments necessary to rebuild the system before the next major break occurs. If recent history has shown anything, it is that replacing aging infrastructure before it fails will almost certainly cost less than repairing it after yet another disaster strikes, and that next disaster is certain if we don’t do something about our water system infrastructure now. Tavares Anderson lives in Waterbury. ...read more read less