Hingham Water Board Unveils Multi-Year Plan to Reduce Main Breaks

HINGHAM -- July 15, 2025, Hingham's Board of Water Commissioners presented a sweeping infrastructure plan Tuesday to address chronic water main breaks and brown water complaints across the Weir River Water System. Water Superintendent Russell Tierney told the board that 64 percent of the system's 200-plus miles of pipeline is more than 50 years old, and that the annual main-break average has fallen from 32.7 under private ownership to 21.3 since the town took over, though 2025 is tracking toward 27 breaks with months remaining. Veolia regional manager Mike Glee outlined plans for unidirectional flushing, GIS-based break clustering, hydrant-mounted pressure loggers, and deployment of an AI platform called Voda AI to predict pipe failures. Major upcoming capital projects include 9,600 linear feet of new 12-inch main along Route 3A beginning construction in early 2026 and 11,200 linear feet on Manat and Samat streets in Hull starting in early 2027. Tierney said roughly 33 percent of customers are complying with the current Level 2 water ban, enough to stabilize tank levels, and that fines will begin the following week, with a postcard notification system in development to reach the roughly 9,000 customers not enrolled in digital alerts.