The water emergency in six towns in Onondaga and Madison counties started small and snowballed until it became a crisis, the head of the Onondaga County Water Authority said. OCWA Executive Director Jeff Brown laid out for reporters the timeline of events that led up to the mandatory water conservation order just days before Christmas for 27,000 homes and businesses.
It began in June when they discovered a minor leak in one valve, used to relieve pressure in the water main. The authority had to go to court to get access to the land, which delayed repairs until August.
More issues were found in the same section of water main and repaired in late November when the property owner noticed water bubbling up from underground. The leak was welded shut by Dec. 6. More leaks were found a few days later. On Dec. 20, technicians fed Lake Ontario water back into the 3.5-foot main…