UPDATE: Main Break Affects Portion of Washington Ave. Thursday; Service Expected Back Tonight

Editor's note: This story was updated 11:55 am Nov. 15 to include information about the extent of a water main break Thursday

Officials in Belleville are trying to determine why the township has experienced an unusually high  number of water main breaks in the last two weeks.

Since the start of the month, there have been ruptures at Adelaide, Parkview, and at Franklin and Joralemon. Yet another break occurred on Main Street near Little Street Wednesday.

Just as public works employees repaired that break, however, there was yet another one Thursday, at 508 Washington Ave., Township Manager Kevin Esposito said.

As a result, water service on Washington between Little and Overlook was disrupted, but was expected to be back by 6 pm Thursday, town hall said.

“The lines are experiencing some significant breaks. There used to be two- to three-foot cracks, and now we’re seeing cracks of  8 or 9 feet,” Esposito said.

The township’s engineer is investigating to determine whether there is an underlying cause.

Esposito, while emphasizing that the problem is still being investigated, said Thursday it might be related to the unusually cold temperature of the water going through the pipes combined with abnormally warm ground.

"It would be like pouring hot water into a cold glass, or vice versa," he said.