Mansfield water system under strain: boil advisory lifted but emergency repairs continue

For three days last week, households on Paxford Place between South Trimble Road and South Linden Road had to boil every drop of water they drank or cooked with after an emergency water main repair shut down their service. The City of Mansfield lifted the precautionary boil advisory on Sept. 26 after water samples came back clean. But the city's notices describe the cause only as emergency water main repairs; they do not say what broke, what the work will cost, or whether the money comes from the voter-approved water-main tax, the 2020 water bonds, or another source.

On Sept. 23, the city shut down water service on that stretch to perform the emergency repairs and expected service to be restored by the end of the work day. The precautionary boil advisory that followed directed residents to bring all water intended for consumption to a rolling boil for three minutes until testing confirmed safety. The advisory stayed in place until Sept. 26, when the Water Repair Department lifted it after all water samples returned negative. Residents with questions can call the Water Repair Department at 419-755-9803 during normal business hours.

A system built for another century

Mansfield has identified roughly 53 miles of small, 4-inch water mains as its core long-term replacement target. Those lines were installed between the late 1800s and 1938 and make up more than 15% of the city's roughly 300 miles of water lines. In March 2024, Mansfield voters approved a four-year, 0.25% municipal income tax to fund replacement of the aging water mains, with collections beginning in 2025 and revenue restricted to water main replacement. The tax is expected to generate about $18 million to $19 million over four years, and city engineer Bob Bianchi said it would let Mansfield replace about 13 miles of 4-inch mains in the first four-year cycle. The city has also used $35 million in 2020 water bonds for water system and treatment-plant improvements. The first year of the replacement program included about $350,000 in design work for a roughly $4.7 million replacement program, with design and contractor selection starting so construction could begin the following year. Bianchi put the long-term math plainly: “It would take about four cycles … to replace all of our 4-inch mains.”

Questions for City Hall

The questions worth putting to the city are straightforward: what broke on Paxford Place, what the emergency repairs cost, and whether the money comes from the voter-approved water-main tax or another source.