Water Main Breaks Causes Issues Around Baltimore County
BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) -- Above ground feels like spring, but underground, the extreme temperature change is wreaking havoc on water mains this week.
The roller-coaster temperatures have taken a toll on pipes, and dozen water main breaks are affecting the Baltimore County area, plaguing neighborhoods.
Department of Public Works officials say the changes in weather have caused the issues with water main breaks, from cold to warm temperatures in the last week or so.
Among the streets affected were Walther Boulevard just off White Marsh Boulevard.
Crews were there all day Wednesday working on a water main break.
"Looks like if I wanted to wash my car, it'd be a good chance for that," said driver Wayne Mazan.
The stretch was shut down all day, with bright orange signs directing drivers like Mazan off course.
"I'm not familiar with all these backroads, so I'll have to figure it out," Mazan said.
A few miles away in Rosedale, another busted main caused flooding that can't so easily be dodged with a detour.
Dirty water soaked yards and crumbled a driveway.
It's the damage from one of the dozen or so breaks, crews scrambled to fix Wednesday.
"There's not a whole lot of standing by for our crews right now," said Jeffrey Raymond with DPW Baltimore City. "We've got a list of main breaks that we need to address. We're getting to them just as soon as we can,"
Public Works spokesperson Jeffrey Raymond said the race is on to keep up.
In some of the problem areas, he says the weather may be to blame.
A swing in temperatures put pressure on pipes, as the ground froze and then rapidly thawed, causing mains to snap.
Still, he said, it could, and has been worse.
"Compared to where we were last year, we're fortunate that we're not seeing it quite as bad," He said.
Two Baltimore County schools were also affected, and were forced to close due to water main breaks in the area.
Hebbville Elementary was closed for the day Wednesday.
Hours later, the district announced another closure -- Parkville High School.
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