AUBURN — Officials from the Auburn Water District are trying to identify the cause of four water main breaks that occurred within five days, according to a statement released Monday.

The breaks, occurring on Spring, Center and Turner streets and Minot Avenue, tied up traffic during morning commutes beginning last Thursday.

On Friday, when the second break in as many days closed a Turner Street lane, Police Chief Jason Moen said in a statement, “Apparently there is something in the water.”

Sid Hazelton, superintendent of the Auburn Water District, issued a statement Monday following a fourth break.

“At this time, the District, as well as our consultants, are working diligently to identify the root cause of these breaks and implement corrective action,” he said. “Throughout this process, we are committed to ensuring that we deliver clean water to our customers that meets all drinking water standards. We would like to thank our customers for your patience and understanding.”

He said the water distribution system is closely monitored by district personnel, and “24/7”  monitoring by a system that reports on parameters including system flow, pressures and reservoir levels. The system is computer modeled, he said, “so we can hydraulicly model flow throughout the system to identify potential problem areas.”

Hazelton said that given the nature of the break on Center street, which snarled Thursday traffic after it forced two lanes to close, the affected customers were issued a boil-water notice.

“The water was tested and the order was subsequently lifted,” he said.

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