‘Tis the season... for water main breaks. In long periods of cold weather, water main breaks are a concern for residents, but not much of a surprise for the City's Public Works department.

Claude Morin, Superintendent of Public Works for the City of Weyburn, explains how this is the time of year when we almost expect to see water breaks occur.

“When the weather gets that cold for that prolonged of a duration, it's always a concern to us, as, you know, water main breaks are likely to occur when the weather gets like that. We've had two breaks so far this winter, one early in January and this most latest one in February,” he said.

He said as the frost moves, the ground moves, and that’s what causes fractures in the pipe.

“It's just that time of year,” said Morin. “With the combination of weather conditions and the frost being pounded into the ground, that's when we're more likely to see breaks occur.”

Morin said Weyburn’s water main infrastructure system is primarily made with a type of pipe called AC pipe, which is a concrete pipe.

“Standards have changed now, obviously, plastic is used in more modern installations,” he said. “In some of the newer subdivisions in Weyburn, the piping is all plastic so you'll see less of that. But with the predominance of AC pipe in the system, it's subject to earth movement, and so you will see those breaks occur from time to time.”

He added most communities in Canada have a predominance of AC pipe in their systems.

“It has something to do with aging infrastructure, but at the same time, it has a lot to do with the weather,” he added.

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