Dozens of water main breaks around the Baltimore area left hundreds of residences without water Saturday, with more water issues expected in the coming days, according to city officials.
Crews worked to fix about 33 water main breaks on Saturday afternoon, with 21 in Baltimore and 12 in Baltimore County, according to a statement from Baltimore’s Department of Public Works. Six mains were shut down, leaving 267 homes without water.
DPW was overwhelmed with calls for service over the weekend, with 397 on Friday and requests on Saturday expected to exceed that number. People who lost water because of frozen pipes made up a significant portion of the calls, according to DPW.
DPW Director Matthew Garbark said this week that the city had seen few water main breaks thus far as a result of the cold spell, but he attributed that to the solid ice that has coated the city.
As the weather warms slightly, the freeze-thaw cycle will put pressure on pipes as the ground begins to heave, Garbark said. That increases the risk of water main breaks.
Last week, Baltimore activated a command center to coordinate the deployment of crews to fix water main breaks and address the increased stress on the infrastructure caused by continued frigid temperatures. The command center will operate until “temperatures moderate,” according to the DPW statement.
Garbark reminded residents to run a small trickle of water from their faucets to help keep their pipes and service lines from freezing.
If you experience issues with your water service, Baltimore residents can call 311 and Baltimore County residents can call 443-263-2220.
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