UPDATED: Water Main Break Results in Temporary Closure of County Road 42 at Pennock Avenue in Apple Valley
Updated: 8:30 PM on February 26, 2025.
APPLE VALLEY, MINNESOTA - A water main break disrupted traffic in Apple Valley on Tuesday evening, February 25, 2025, prompting emergency personnel to close surrounding roadways.
Around 8:40 PM, emergency personnel, including the Apple Valley Fire Department, Apple Valley Police, and the City of Apple Valley Public Works, were dispatched to the intersection of County Road 42 and Pennock Avenue following reports of a water main break. As a precaution and to facilitate repair efforts, County Road 42 westbound was closed at Granada Avenue and eastbound at 147th Street West. Pennock Avenue was also closed at the intersection in both north and southbound directions.
According to Matt Saam, the City of Apple Valley’s Director of Public Works, the break occurred in a cast iron pipe, which is more prone to cracking due to ground movement from temperature fluctuations and frost. The City is actively replacing aging cast iron pipes with more durable ductile iron pipes as part of an ongoing infrastructure improvement effort. Around 10:20 PM, public works were able to turn the water off, and by around 10:40 PM, eastbound County Road 42 was allowed to reopen following the water draining from the street. Portions of westbound County Road 42 remained closed while crews repaired the water main break.
Repair efforts began on the evening of Tuesday, February 25th, and water service was restored by approximately 6:30 AM on Wednesday, February 26th. Fortunately, City officials report minimal issues, with only KFC and Raising Canes experiencing temporary water outages for a few hours. No residential homes were affected.
There are no safety concerns at this time. Saam noted that during the repairs, the City maintains water pressure on the broken main to prevent dirt from entering the system. After repairs, the main is thoroughly flushed to ensure clean, chlorinated water flows through the pipe.
Written by: Will Wight
