WSSC Water reports hundreds of water main breaks due to cold temperatures and aging pipes in southern Maryland
Washington: So, it’s been a rough winter for folks in southern Maryland. WSSC Water is scrambling to fix a ton of water main breaks. They’re saying the cold weather and old pipes are really causing a mess.
In just the last month, they’ve seen around 271 breaks, and last week alone, there were 231 reported. Luis Maya from WSSC Water mentioned that this time of year is usually when they get hit the hardest.
They keep an eye on the Potomac River’s temperature. When it drops, they know they’re in for a wave of breaks. One recent break in Riverdale left about 40 homes without water while they made repairs.
It’s tough to say how many people are affected overall since WSSC manages over 5,500 miles of pipes, and a good chunk of them are pretty old—about 40% are over 50 years old.
They’re working on replacing those aging pipes, but it’s a slow process. Until then, it looks like water main breaks will be a winter staple.
Maya summed it up well: “We’re really dealing with aging infrastructure.” So, if you’re in the area, keep an eye out for those water main issues!
