DETROIT (WWJ) — With temperatures dipping into the single digits, it’s been a frigid few days all across Michigan. And now in Detroit, the cold weather is causing quite the icy mess.
Crews with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department on Wednesday are working to repair a rash of water main breaks across the city. While officials didn't release a total number of breaks, DWSD Chief Operating Officer Sam Smalley said it was believed to be in the dozens.
Among the worst water main breaks of the day happened early Wednesday morning on westbound Outer Drive on the entrance ramp to northbound I-75. WWJ Newsradio 950's Charlie Langton reported there was water all over Outer Drive, making the on-ramp "extremely, extremely slippery."
While it’s not unusual to see water main breaks in the winter with Detroit’s nearly 100-year-old system, Smalley told reporters Wednesday temperatures this cold exacerbates the problem.
Smalley said 11 crews are working across the city, “constantly fixing main breaks” and prioritizing areas near freeways, hospitals, schools and neighborhoods without running water, but “everything takes longer” when it’s this cold.
“The men and women out here are subject to frostbite and the elements. They need to warm up occasionally,” he said. “A lot of times, the leak has caused some icing of the street, so our dump trucks and backhoes need to work to remove the ice so crews can actually even get to do the repairs.”
Salt dump trucks were salting areas surrounding the main breaks in an attempt to keep them from freezing over, Smalley said.
“The men and women are out there in this frigid cold. Not only is it cold, but they’re also getting wet while they’re doing these repairs,” Smalley said. “It’s a battle with a 95-year-old system, but our men and women are out there getting the work done.”
Smalley said he hopes crews will get a break in the coming days with warming temperatures. AccuWeather is forecasting Thursday’s high temperatures to reach 27 degrees and 25 on Friday, before climbing back into the 30s over the weekend.
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