The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission has been busier in the last month than it has in about a decade. The issue? Broken water mains.
When temperatures fluctuate between extremely cold to warm, pipes have a tendency to expand and contract. That can weaken joints.
WSSC Water Luis Maya said the utility responded to 650 water main breaks in January. That’s the second busiest month since January of 2018, when the D.C. region experienced a polar vortex.
One of those breaks happened on Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, Maryland. A 16-inch water main that was installed in 1932 burst, “sending a geyser of water and mud and rocks out into Wisconsin Avenue,” WTOP’s Alan Etter reported from the scene at the time of the break.
“We monitor the temperature of the Potomac River. It’s like a crystal ball for us,” Maya said, explaining how the utility tries to anticipate the number of breaks it might have to respond to.
The temperature of the Potomac River remained around freezing during the month of January.
WSSC Water has 5900 miles of water pipes in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties and plans to replace some of the oldest infrastructure.
Editor’s Note: This article incorrectly spelled Luis Maya’s last name. It has been corrected.
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