WORCESTER — The water leaking for several days onto the road at Park Avenue and Chandler Street is from a large, malfunctioning water main valve that won't be fixed for another two weeks.

The stray water comes at a time when city officials have growing concerns over the city's water supply.

Citing a lack of rainfall, Konstantin Eliadi, director of water and sewer operations, said the city's water reserves are at about 65 percent.

The city doesn't want reserves to get much lower and hopes rain is in the forecast.

The National Weather Service said rainfall for September at Worcester Regional Airport was 2.47 inches, compared to an average of 3.62 inches for the month.

"It is ironic that we are almost at the doorsteps of a drought, yet we are letting this go by," Mr. Eliadi said of the Park Avenue break. "The reason for that is we are making provisions to put in a temporary stop at the 42-inch main."

The leak on Monday was in its fifth day. Mr. Eliadi said not much water is being lost, but he did not have an estimate of how many gallons are flowing down the street.

The valve will be replaced in the second week of October.

Mr. Eliadi said a contractor is being brought in to conduct the work, which will cost about $100,000 and will come from the existing budget.

The repairs will be worked on overnight but will still affect water pressure in the areas around the valve and downtown on Main Street. A notification will be issued before work starts.

Since a massive November 2012 water main break caused flooding at the Worcester State University campus, the city has been testing 15 large main valves from the Park Avenue and Chandler Street area all the way to the city's water treatment plant in Holden.

Contact Scott J. Croteau at scott.croteau@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottCroteauTG

Here's an illustration of the leak; notice the scale of the pipe in relation to the person on the side! pic.twitter.com/4Q0XDLkVPS

— DPW & P (@WorcesterDPW) October 1, 2014