Mass. IDs Leak Near Site Of May Water Main Break

Workers with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority are investigating an apparent underground water leak near the site of May's massive water main break.

The agency said a small amount of water is bubbling up and crews are on the scene trying to determine exactly where it's coming from and how to fix it.

"It's a leak that is common in the water industry," said Fred Laskey, director of the MWRA. "Other than the location and the importance of the location, it's a whole different ball game from the big break we had back in May."

No service interruptions have been reported.

WBUR's Steve Brown reports MWRA officials think there could be a link to the May incident.

"One theory is that maybe the May leak put too much pressure on this (area) and created a small leak and they're thinking that possibly that went undetected until all the heavy rain we've had the couple of days," Brown said.

The site is about 220 feet downstream from the location of May's water main break that left nearly 2 million Massachusetts residents in 30 communities including Boston under a boil water order.

Investigators looking into the cause of the May break have focused on a coupling that was designed to hold together two section of a 10-foot pipe.

Workers last month recovered a section of the coupling.