something is going on with our water mains...

various... look to the post for source links | march 06, 2008 | sten

[sten]

water mains last well over 100 years. so the chance of 2 breaking on the same day are probably pretty slim. a couple of news stories today made me stop and do a quick google for water main breaks in march 2008. the results are a bit odd… considering I have not heard anything about it in the news, beyond the requried 'boil your water' statements.

the following is a list of water main breaks over the last month. I have made an effort not to overlap stories, so they should all signify a unique event. note the dates and locations as you go along.

---- Water back on in Treasure Island (FLORIDA) Originally Posted 2/5/2008 3:45:54 AM http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=73193

Water main break closes part of E Columbus Drive today(FLORIDA - TAMPA) February 11, 2008 http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2008/02/water-main-brea.html

Workers cap major water main break in Detroit(MICHIGAN) February 19, 2008 http://www.motorcitymoms.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/CFP10/80219022/1003/NEWS01

Boil water notice in Tarpon Springs (FLORIDA - TAMPA) Originally Posted 2/19/2008 6:01:59 PM http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=74372

Water Main Break Floods Homes(NEW YORK) Published Feb 24, 2008 http://www.rnews.com/Story_2004.cfm?ID=58598&rnews_story_type=18

Water main bursts, creates traffic snarls(FLORIDA - MELBOURNE) February 28, 2008 http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/BREAKINGNEWS/80228036/-1/archives

Thousands lose water service when main breaks(COLORADO) created: 2/29/2008 7:21:27 PM http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=87320

Water main break snarls Main Street(OHIO) Last Updated: 1:10 pm | Saturday, March 1, 2008 http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080301/NEWS01/803010421/1092/NEWS0103

District issues boil-water order after main break (CALIFORNIA - SAN DIEGO) March 1, 2008 http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080301-1257-bn29boil.html

Water Main Break Prompts Response At UConn Health Center(CONNECTICUT) March 02, 2008 http://www.topix.net/content/trb/2008/03/water-main-break-prompts-response-at-uconn-health-center

Water main break in Flint leaves some residents without water(MICHIGAN) Sunday March 02, 2008, 10:18 PM http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/03/water_main_break_in_flint_leav.html

Water Main Break Closes Aikahi Elementary (HONOLULU) POSTED: 7:23 am HST March 3, 2008 http://www.kitv.com/news/15474532/detail.html?subid=10101241

Water main break forces Philly school closed(PENNSYLVANIA) Monday, March 03, 2008 | 12:13 PM http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=5995441

Water main break on Siesta Key (FLORIDA) March 03, 2008 15:41 PM http://m.tampabays10.com/news.jsp?key=92091&rc=lo

Water main break closes Hampstead Hill Academy (MARYLAND) 8:30 AM EST, March 4, 2008 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-hampstead0304,0,3975094.story

Allentown crews restoring water service(PENNSYLVANIA) 4:38 PM EST, March 4, 2008 http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-watermain0304-cn,0,3605658.story

Florida Street Water Main is repaired(ALABAMA - MOBILE) 3:10 p.m. ET, Tues., March. 4, 2008 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23469079/

Water main break at South and Forest(VERMONT) March 4, 2008 http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080304/NEWS/347689764

Broken water main disrupts Wheeler Road traffic(VIRGINIA - RICHMOND) Tuesday, March 4, 2008 9:20 a.m. http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/latest/lat_030408_trafficproblem.shtml

Water restored to Golden Gate schools after main break(CALIFORNIA - SAN FRANCISCO) March 5, 2008 http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080305/NEWS01/80305033/1075

City finishes repairing water main break(ARIZONA) -- broke on March 3rd Wednesday, March 05, 2008 http://azdailysun.com/articles/2008/03/05/news/local/20080305_local_news_15.txt

Siesta Key has another water-main break (FLORIDA) Wednesday, March 05, 2008 http://www.bradenton.com/breakingnews/story/447037.html

2nd water main break prompts new boil water advisory(FLORIDA) Posted: March 5, 2008 11:13 AM http://www.wwsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=7968929 http://www.wwsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=7969096

Water main break closes JJC (ILLINIOS) March 5, 2008 http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/825474,4_1_JO05_JUCO_S1.article

Water-Main Break Closes Roads(CONNECTICUT) POSTED: 10:22 am EST March 6, 2008 http://www.wfsb.com/traffic/15512054/detail.html?rss=hart&psp=news

Massive Water Main Break in Cleveland Causes Street Collapse, Flood (ILLINIOS) Thursday, March 06, 2008 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,335571,00.html

Watermain Break In Hartford(CONNECTICUT) 11:09 AM EST, March 6, 2008 http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hcu-hrtfrdwatermainbreak,0,7575205.story

Water main break closes Tri-C Metro campus(ILLINIOS) March 06, 2008 10:18AM http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/03/water_main_break_closes_tric_m.html

[Wyatt's Torch]

"You're going waaayyyy beyond reason here. What is your basis for saying water mains last "100 years?"

That's the question. EPA study in 2002 about the need for water infrastructure replacement used this model for the longevity of water pipes:

It was assumed that pipes installed before 1910 last an average of 120 years.Pipe installed from 1911 to 1945 is assumed to last an average of 100 years. Pipe installed after 1945 is assumed to last an average of 75 years. In estimating when the current inventory of pipe will be replaced,the model assumes that the actual life span of the pipe will be distributed normally around its expected average life; that is, pipe expected to last 75 years will last 50 to 100 years, pipe expected to last 100 years will last from 66 to 133 years, and pipe expected to last 120 years will last 80 to 160 years.

A large portion of the install base is quite old and is wearing out and needs to be replaced. The frequency of replacement is only going to accelerate.

[CJ Wolf]

Not sure, But let me know what's going on. I'm gonna take a shower.

[Jo Nuvark]

“Water Main Breaks” is code for suspicious event
forces area lockdown. Must investigate without
causing panic amongst the sheeple.

[sten]

sorry if you have to cut & paste.

if the forum posting system was smarter it would automatically turn text into links where it found “http://";

as is.. i don’t have time to copy / paste, adjust , end anchor for each

[AnAmericanMother]

OK, that sounds like an overpressure problem.

If you're curious, call your city councilman or county commissioner. I'll bet you'll find that an upgrade to a pumping system or distribution point and consequent rise in pressure is causing older fittings to fail.

We had just that situation in our neighborhood . . . we are down by the river at one of the lowest points in the county, and after some modifications to the trunk line street pressure exceeded 250 pounds in some areas . . . . we had pipes and PRVs blowing everywhere. We replaced 2 PRVs ourselves before we found out what the trouble was. The county installed another reduction valve, and all was well.

. . . I used to deal with municipal water systems in my other life as a civil litigator, and these sorts of problems are actually pretty common. Not everyday stuff, but happen often enough to keep the lawyers busy!

[mountainlyons]

I worked for a city's water sewer department for about 2 months and got laid off. Water mains tend to break in the spring after winter thaw. The weather has been warm the last few years and this is a colder winter so I suspect that it is normal.

[AnAmericanMother]

Oh . . . these are breaks from all over the country, not in just one area????

Forget it! You are worrying about absolutely nothing at all. Normal wear and tear, especially in urban areas where the supply lines tend to be old.

[sten]

pretty warm here in florida, and i’m pretty sure there were no frosts in san diego or arizona...

[GulfBreeze]

For the most industrialized developed nation on earth, this doesn’t sound like a lot to me. Imagine the number of miles of water mains there are throughout the country. Hundreds of thousands I’m sure.

[sten]

maybe. but 21 in the last 5 1/2 days... seems like a bit much.

as someone posted, pipe will last from 75-130 years. if this were common, then i should be able to find a similar volume during any given month last summer (i found an increase since january, but i only posted events from the last month)

[Jo Nuvark]

[... 21 water mains have broken in the last 5 1/2 days (snip) Are you saying that’s common?...]

Any time the press reports something as non-newsworthy
as this, I pause to wonder. I have come to realize (by
observation) that there is no such thing as coincidental
reporting from the liberal, anti-American media. ALL
liberal news has an agenda and is (usually) designed
to influence and/or manipulate the sheeple.

[telebob]

Water mains can leak from a number of sources including joints, taps, connections, fittings and the pipe itself.

The term ‘water main break’ doesn’t mean jack.

[IYAS9YAS]

What??? Nothing on the seemingly bi-weekly occurance of a water main break in Albuquerque? Not a one on that list - must have had at least 10 in the last year or so.

[Justa]

Well our town’s (NW Tampa) water main broke this am so it is rather strange. Perhaps pump malfunction or something. Then again if they were all put in around the same time they’d tend to go bad around the same time I’d think.

[r9etb]

21 mains ... out of how many?

FWIW, there are probably dozens of water main breaks in my hometown every year. No terrorism required -- a lot of them are just old.

[AnAmericanMother]

You don't know how old the pipes are, what the system pressure is, or basically ANY of the parameters.

21 in a week for the whole country is nothing. Normal.

It's reported in the newspaper either because it snarls traffic or because (as in Atlanta) there's a corruption/incompetence angle.

[IYAS9YAS]

must have had at least 10 in the last year or so.

Whoops, meant to say 20.

[telebob]

Well, if the NW Tampa water system is built like any other large water system in the USA, there are multiple water mains both for transmission and distribution. More likely, there are hundreds to thousands of individual reaches of pipe in a variety of sizes, pressures and capacities.

Your town probably has a ‘water main break’ each and every day.

[fairtrader]

---

Someone is messing with the water and it’s affecting my precious bodily fluids ! !

---

[Teacher317]

Well, a comparison to the number of breaks in other months might be appropriate for a rational judgment to be made.