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Maryland, DC face deluge of water main breaks, straining repair crews
Crews are hard at work battling water main breaks that continue to pop up all over Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal has the story.
TAKOMA PARK, Md. - Crews are hard at work battling water main breaks that continue to pop up all over Maryland, D.C., and Virginia.
"It’s busy," said WSSC Water’s Lyn Riggins. Very busy, in fact.
Riggins said that just since Saturday, WSSC crews have dealt with more than 80 breaks and leaks in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties alone.
Over 80 new water main breaks reported in Maryland and DC within days
That brings WSSC’s total to 234 between the first of the year and January 22. It’s more than the 104 breaks and leaks WSSC crews dealt with over the same period last winter, but it’s a far cry from the 736 during the same stretch of the "Polar Vortex" winter of 2018.
"We look at the Potomac River temperature. It’s sort of like a crystal ball for us," Riggins explained, noting that water main breaks tend to increase a few days after the river temperature hits a new low. "40 percent of the water mains in our distribution system are 50 years old or older. So, we have a lot of aging infrastructure."
Water main breaks in DC region rise amid frigid temperatures
Water main breaks across the Washington, D.C. region are on the rise as cold temperatures continue.
Riggins said that there would be fewer water main breaks if the old pipes were replaced. That would largely be up to federal, state, and local lawmakers to fund.
"This is the infrastructure that is out of sight, out of mind until something like this happens, and you’re a frustrated commuter," she said.
Some business owners were frustrated too, including at Panaderia Guanaca, a recently opened restaurant on New Hampshire Avenue in Takoma Park. They planned to close early Monday afternoon after a water main break left the store without water.
"There’s no business," Claudia Hernandez told FOX 5.