It's going to be several weeks before Greater Sudbury is free from problems associated with frozen and broken water pipes, says the city's general manager of infrastructure.
Tony Cecutti says the frozen and broken pipes were caused by weeks of extremely cold temperatures, sending frost deep into the ground. That means it will take an extended period of warm temperatures before they go away completely.
"You need a few weeks of mild weather so the heat below the pipes, as well as the heat above the surface of the ground, are working toward each other,” Cecutti said Tuesday. “And that's not going to happen overnight. It's going to be the end of March, into April before we'll see substantial relief."
Cecutti said the cause of the current crisis – which has left hundreds of people without running water – has three major elements. The first is the age of the homes affected. Seventy or 80 years ago when many of the houses were built, water pipes were buried in ground as shallow as 3 1/2 feet. Current standards require them to go as deep as eight feet, or they must be insulated.
The type of soil is an even bigger factor. Cold moves through sand or gravel much quicker than it does through clay, for example, which provides insulation. However, the third factor is when frost does move through clay, it causes more problems because clay has a higher water content. That means it expands and shifts when it freezes, damaging the pipe.
"It's like water in an ice cube tray -- it expands when it freezes," Cecutti said.
The good news is that homes and business that haven't been affected likely won't be unless we get another long stretch of extremely cold weather.
"We have some 40,000 (water) services and the number affected are in the hundreds," he said. "But I know that's of no comfort to people who are without water."
As of Tuesday afternoon, water had been restored to 232 homes, 119 were waiting to have their pipes thawed using steam and hot water, 24 were waiting for electrical thawing and 11 were waiting for excavations.
In addition, Cecutti said 42 homes are on a "bibbing" system, where licensed installers attach a specially designed pipe on a home with water to one without using the garden hose tap. But he cautions against anyone trying to do such a hookup on their own because it could contaminate the water, and the likelihood of it breaking or causing another type of hazard is high.
City crews have been mobilized to deal with the problem, in addition to 12 contractors, all working around the clock to try and restore water. Some of the calls, however, are from people whose pipes have frozen again.
"Unfortunately, the cold is staying, so we have people with repeats, where they were frozen in February, and now they're frozen again this week,” Cecutti said. “However, because we have so many crews now available, I'm hoping that by the end of the week or early next week, we can start to make some progress."
While it's too early to estimate how much dealing with the crisis will cost, he said they do budget a certain amount every year to deal with these sorts of problems.
"Costs are obviously important in the end, but right now we're focused on getting people back their water as quickly as possible," he said. "We'll wait and see what all the costs are before we recommend which way is the best to cover these costs."
Not only has city staff pulled together to help, Cecutti said he has been struck by the resilience of people who have had to wait extended periods before their water is restored.
"We appreciate the amount of patience from the residents who are waiting for their service to come back," he said. "It sounds like everyone has really rallied around this, recognizing it's an unusual situation. We're doing the best we can to service the community as quickly as we can."
Where to get water:
Residents can fill their own containers at any municipal filling station located in the following areas: Bay Street in Whitefish, Countryside Drive in Sudbury (near the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex), and Spruce Street in Garson.
Shower facilities are open to the public from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily at the Capreol Millennium Resource Centre, 24 Meehan St., Capreol; Gatchell Pool, 43 Irving St., Sudbury; Nickel District Pool, 1940 Hawthorne St., Sudbury; and, Onaping Falls Pool, 1 Hillside Dr., Onaping.
Showers will be open until Friday, when needs will be reassessed. Residents will be asked to present identification and to supply their own towels and toiletries. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
