Instead of popping champagne corks and blowing noisemakers, Cincinnati Water Works crews likely will spend New Year's Eve patching leaky pipes and broken water mains.

        Twelve straight days of subfreezing temperatures have maintenance crews scrambling to keep up with dozens of calls about frozen pipes and broken water mains, which have disrupted service to hundreds of residents. This could be just the beginning: More breaks are likely when the weather turns warmer, causing the ground to heave and putting more stress on water lines.

Cincinnati Water Works employees repair a water main break in the East End on Friday. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        “We have 17 crews working 12-hour shifts in order to deal with all of the calls we've received,” said David Rager, director of the Greater Cincinnati Water Works. “We've got quite a backlog of work that needs to be done, so there'll be no New Year's Eve for some of our guys.”

        Mr. Rager estimates that the Water Works has more than 70 leaky pipes and at least one burst water main that still need repairs from earlier in the week. He said that on Thursday alone his department received calls for 34 cracked or broken pipes.

        The problem seems most pronounced in areas surrounding downtown. Northern Kentucky and Warren and Butler counties reported only minor problems with main breaks and leaks.

        “We haven't really seen a winter this cold in about five years,” Mr. Rager said. “This really has to be an above-normal year for us in terms of the sheer number of breaks that we've had so far.”

        Private plumbers say they, too, are getting more calls.

        Jerry Trent, manager of Trent Plumbing in Forest Park, said his eight-plumber operation has had trouble keeping up with demand. Mr. Trent has received more than 200 calls about leaking or frozen pipes at homes, compared to about 10 calls last year.

KEEP PIPES FROM FREEZING

• Winterize and protect your pipes by covering them with a foam insulator (preferably before the temperature drops below freezing). Do not use electrical insulating tape to wrap your pipes.     • Make sure all pipes and water meters exposed to outside walls are covered. Typically these are pipes in the kitchen and bathroom.     • Let small amounts of water drip from your faucet overnight. This allows water to flow continuously and helps avoid frozen pipes. Letting your faucet run can add to your water bill, but when compared with the cost and inconvenience of frozen or leaky pipes, it is mere pennies.     • Make sure there are no cracks in windows, siding or insulation in areas where pipes are exposed. Air leaks in these areas allows cold air to blow directly on pipes and can cause them to freeze.     • Leaving cupboard doors open allows pipes behind the cupboard to get more heat when the temperature is below freezing.     • If your pipes do freeze, do not use an open flame, lighter or electrical welder to unthaw. Use a hair dryer, heat lamp or electrical lamp instead.     • Shut off all water and drain your system if you are going to be away from home for an extended period. Make sure your hot water heater is turned off first.     • If you experience problems with water pressure, call the Greater Cincinnati Water Works at 591-7900 to see if there has been a water main break in your area. If you have frozen pipes, contact a private plumber.

        “We've been so busy that we've had to refer some of our customers to other plumbers,” he said. “We can hardly keep up.”

        Main breaks and leaks occur most often when the temperature drops below 20 degrees, Mr. Rager said. As the ground freezes it also shifts, putting greater stress and pressure on pipes.

        The temperature of water inside the pipes also plays a role. Ninety-seven percent of Cincinnati Water Works water comes from the Ohio River. The river's temperature was recently measured at 37.5 degrees.

        “That means that all the water coming into our system right now is pretty cold,” Mr. Rager said. “And when water gets cold it expands and puts even more pressure on the pipe. So when you have pressure both on the outside and inside of a pipe at the same time, that's when you start to see weak points exposed and breaks occuring.”

        Mr. Rager said crews can usually repair a main break within four to six hours. A break usually means five to 10 families are without water, although leaks can sometimes be repaired without disrupting service, he said.

        “We try our best to inconvenience people as little as possible,” Mr. Rager said. “We try to alert residents before shutting off service, but that's not possible all the time because sometimes we have to shut it off quickly to avoid property damage.”

        Crews couldn't arrive fast enough for Dolores Foote of Price Hill. A water main less than 15 feet from her front door burst Thursday afternoon, spewing hundreds of gallons of water. Maintenance crews finally arrived on the scene Friday to repair the main.

        “All of that water just froze up on our driveway and there was so much that we couldn't even pull our cars onto it,” Mrs. Foote said. Crews shut her water off for about four hours for repairs.

        “It was a real inconvenience, but we got through it,” she said.
   

Kidnapped, freed, and now missing
Man jailed over death of fetus
An $857K silk purse made from sows' ears
Cold has city scrambling to fix broken water lines
New laws take aim at education
School funding hangs over assembly
A few education bills are on docket
Assembly expected to put focus on teachers
Cold hard on Kentucky communities
Cops can't ID body in trash bin
Dayton considers going upscale
Drug court arrives in eastern Ky.
Episcopalians, Lutherans will team up as of Sunday
Fairfield seeking volunteer planners
HOWARD: Neighborhoods
It all began in the middle
Lawmaker wants to require less tailpipe testing
MCNUTT: Development
Online college expands
Police find loyal friends
Turmoil engulfs Villa Hills
Warren tourism up despite downpours
Kentucky News Briefs
Tristate A.M. Report