Rising Temps Cause New Pipe Issues

You might think rising temperatures would end the concern about water pipe issues, but actually the next two days will likely keep officials busy.

Sparta Public Works Director Dillard Quick said the ground shifts when it thaws out. That allows pipes to move under the ground and potentially go through ring splits or blowouts.

“Some of these pipes are small lines,” Quick said. “We have inch line, we have two-inch line. And they’re older lines, some of the lines we have in the ground are fifty years old. So when the ground does move after it thaws out then it does cause some leaks.”

Quick said there is no way for the city to prepare other than to have its trucks equipped and crews ready to go. Quick said the best way for the public to prevent the issue on the private side of the water meter is to continue to let their faucet drip.

“Other than that, if you see us out and there’s water on the road, it’s going to turn to ice,” Quick said. “And we do try to salt that after the fact but we can’t get it all.”

Quick said there is no way to tell how bad the damage will be going into the warmer weather. Quick said he hopes the leaks will come up during the day because it is much more difficult to deal with them at night.

“It’s tough to get out there and repair these lines in the cold,” Quick said. “When it gets to ten degrees like it has been, five degrees this morning, it makes it difficult to get the lines repaired.”

Quick said there have been three pipe leaks in the city between Tuesday night and Wednesday and he expects more before the end of the week. Quick said the city has portable heaters ready to help the employees who have to go repair any more lines in the cold.