Just this week, Southeastern Louisiana has seen two major water main breaks. One of them knocked out water for the east bank of Jefferson Parish. The other is creating problems for residents throughout Lafourche Parish.
According to one engineer, last year's hot summer may be to blame for these and other water pipe issues.
"The soil we have in south Louisiana is soft," civil engineer H. J. Bosworth, Jr., said. "When the soil is loaded with moisture, it's softer but tighter. When the soil is drier, it shrinks."
Bosworth says when dry soil shrinks, it causes the pipes that are held in place by the soil to shift.
"The elements of our infrastructure that are in the soil--that are subject to movement and are being held in place by the soil--can be affected by the change in moisture of the soil," Bosworth said.
Bosworth adds that when dry soil takes on moisture and softens, more problems can arise.
"It doesn't always swell back up in the same places," Bosworth said, noting that this can cause further damage to pipes, leading to a water main break. "The changes in moisture content of the soil has always been a headache for the water pipes and the sewer force mains that we have in South Louisiana."
But what about the recent freezes? Bosworth says the latest cold snap probably had no bearing on the Jefferson Parish and Lafourche Parish water problems.
"The freezing on the other hand is not likely to affect buried piping," Bosworth said. "In some exposed piping, freezing can affect that because ice is larger than water and it can crack the pipes, but not buried piping--not here. It doesn't freeze two feet down typically."