X

Dozens of frozen municipal water lines bursting in Massena, Ogdensburg, elsewhere still have DPWs trying to keep up

Posted 2/25/15

By MATT LINDSEY Department of public works crews across St. Lawrence County have seen a significant increase in frozen water pipes and water main breaks caused by unusually cold temperatures this …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Dozens of frozen municipal water lines bursting in Massena, Ogdensburg, elsewhere still have DPWs trying to keep up

Posted

By MATT LINDSEY

Department of public works crews across St. Lawrence County have seen a significant increase in frozen water pipes and water main breaks caused by unusually cold temperatures this winter.

With more than 40 reports of frozen water lines in Ogdensburg, at least 35 in Massena and about 25 in Canton, complaints have far exceeded totals from last year.

DPW employees have nearly caught up with issues in Ogdensburg with only a handful of businesses still experiencing problems.

In Massena, DPW workers have seen frost as deep as six feet, much lower than usual.

While conditions have not been quite as bad in Canton, most of the problems occurred at about the same time, and minor traffic delays resulted in a few cases.

Plethora of complaints

Ogdensburg Public Works crews are beginning to get caught up fixing water main breaks and frozen pipes in the city following a long stretch of extreme temperatures, according to Ogdensburg Department of Public Works Chief Scott Thornhill.

"We are down to a handful or businesses affected…and we have a couple crews working on them right now," Thornhill said.

Crews have reportedly been able to respond to and fix about eight issues per day with the most complaints in one day being 15.

There have been more than 40 frozen pipe issues so far this year, while last year there was 10 or less, he said.

Nearly all of those issues have reportedly occurred within the last seven to 10 days.

Although workers are putting in overtime, Thornhill does not believe financially it will be much different than last year.

Last year crews were reportedly plowing more because there was constant snow.

"We appreciate all the media coverage letting the public know to run their water…it does help people that were unaware," Thornhill said.

He said to avoid potential issues that residents should continue to let their water run until further notice or at least until we get a few weeks of temperatures about 32 degrees.

"Ogdensburg has a fully-staffed, dedicated crew that is sharing the workload appropriately," Thornhill said.

Safety and prevention

“We are getting more and more complaints each day and we are doing what we can to assist the community,” according to Department of Public Works Superintendent Hassan Fayad.

Massena DPW has responded to 35 calls so far after receiving zero complaints last year, according to Fayad.

Most of the issues reportedly have happened in the last couple weeks and are related to the lateral that connects from the main pipe to pipes that run to the home.

Snow acts as an insulator and with driveways being plowed, they become more susceptible to issues, he said. The frost is able to drive deeper into the ground and cause problems.

“We have seen the frost as deep as six feet,” Fayad said.

One concern for Fayad was keeping his crew safe while performing the dangerous work which includes cold water spraying out of pipes.

“Crews repair live lines because we have to maintain a certain water pressure level due to other regulations and this creates hazards. We want to make sure they are well-suited and warm,” he said.

Hassan said that in order for the village to help residents more efficiently, pipes should be made of copper and not plastic.

“If the pipes are copper we can assist heating the ice up and melting it with a current,” Faysd said.

Waiting for spring

Things are not quite so bad in Canton, but about 25 separate incidents related to frozen water pipes have been dealt with over the last by Canton Department of Public Works.

"The main issue we are seeing is frozen pipes," according to Canton Department of Public Works Superintendent Brien Hallahan.

Hallahan said that places more susceptible to issues are areas like driveways that have been plowed consistently all winter.

"The problems came all at once which is why it might seem like a bigger issue…but we are right on par with last year," Hallahan said.

Minor traffic delays were reported while crews worked.

"We are looking forward to spring, Hallahan said.