Contractors say poor installation may have contributed to Groveland water main break

Contractors investigating a 16-inch water main break that left thousands of Groveland residents without water last month say poor installation may have played a role, a new development as residents continue to demand answers about repeated outages.During a Thursday update, Groveland’s water contractors, Woodard Curran, said early observations suggest the pipe may have been compromised before it failed.“When the National Pipe and Plastic representatives showed up, he took his initial look at it. He said the pipes were over-homed,” one contractor said. “The restraint gland that’s on or outside that had the all-thread were not put on evenly.”Contractors said both ends of the pipe appeared to be affected by poor installation. They also said they did not believe a water hammer, or pressure surge, caused the break.Until now, city staff and leaders had pointed to the pipe’s age as a possible factor. The pipe is more than 30 years old.Residents have criticized the city’s handling of the outa