Water main breaks keep Louisville Water crews busy during cold snap

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The bitter cold is causing water main breaks in Kentuckiana.

Louisville Water Company workers were called out early Tuesday to fix a water main break on a busy stretch of Baxter Avenue. Crews braved the cold, fixed the main and repaved the road, but the pavement remained icy in the area.

The Louisville Water Company spokeswoman Kelley Dearing Smith said there have been a number of issues in that area near Irish Hill and Phoenix Hill with frozen pipes, as well.

Since Friday, the water company has repaired more than 20 breaks mostly in neighborhoods. Cold weather is to blame.

"People don't realize that water mains break every single day, but when we have cold weather we tend to see a spike in water main breaks and that's what has happened," Dearing Smith said.

The Baxter Avenue break was the largest break they have had to deal with. Businesses along that section of Baxter Avenue were under a boil water advisory Tuesday.

Dearing Smith said her office has been flooded with calls, but water mains aren't the issue.

"We've received more than 100 calls from customers who call us usually in a panic saying 'I have no water can you help me?' Unfortunately, we really can't help those customers because almost 100 percent of the time the water pipes are frozen on the customer's side of the property and that's not an area we can help," she said.

Jamason Welker from Bryant Heating and Cooling, Electric and Plumbing agrees. It's not always the water company's problem.

"So typically if you're going to see a failure of a water main break, it's outside of the house and you're going to see a lot of water. You may even notice a damp spot in the yard but with the weather right now everything is damp," Welker said.

He advised homeowners to protect their pipes in this bitter cold weather.

"The first thing I tell everybody is to make sure everything is insulated, and make sure that the home is kept at a comfortable temperature, and make sure you're not letting air come in from the outdoors open up the cabinets and underneath the faucets and get warm air through there," he said.

Water crews will likely to be busy making repairs until temperatures warm up next week. To report a water main break in Louisville, call 502-583-6610 or 888-535-6262 and select option 1 from their automated phone system.

A water main break means you can see water running in the street. If you have no water service in your home, please select option 5 to speak with a customer service representative. For information, click here.

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