Residents driving through the urban parts of this township over the past few weeks might have observed township staff busy working in holds in the grounds on some major streets.
That’s because water pipes have frozen, and burst – and the water must be delivered. That is why the streets are dug up in mid winter.
“We do get them all year round,” said Public Works Director Ken Elder in an interview on Monday. “But it’s mostly in the winter.”
There are a number of reasons for the pipes to burst, but they almost always have to do with the ground. In winter, ground freezes, and can shift, and old cast iron pipes then tend to break – with a slice in the metal that can be as thin as a razor.
“There’s normally a reason for,” Elder said, noting that when temperatures change, ground shifts. If a large rock happens to be above or below the pipe, there could be a break.
Fixing it, once workers find the problem area, is like placing a patch on the pipe, Elder said. “In simple terms, we put a band-aid on it – a stainless steel clamp.”
He also noted that the water in the pipe has to be chlorinated, and the pipes flushed to avoid any contamination.
So far this winter, there was a major break in Fergus, at St. Patrick Street and Provost Lane, and another one on Irvine Street, in Elora. Both streets still use cast iron water pipes, which are susceptible to such breaks. As well, Elder said he can recall five other breaks.
“It’s always hit and miss,” said Elder, in being able to predict where such breaks occur. He said in some cases, when it gets cold, cars driving over the road can “pound down the cold” and that can cause problems.”
He noted that there was three to three-and-a-half feet of frost during the last cold snap. And, “when water freezes, the ground expands.”
This area is not the only one suffering from broken water mains. Montreal had a major one last week, and Toronto has them regularly.
Of course, given the difficulties with cast iron pipes, they have not been used for years in new construction. Their first replacement was ductile iron, which would actually shift with ground movement.
However, it, too, came with problems. If the soil was acidic, it reacted with the metal of the pipes. The result was the chemicals actually ate into the pipes, causing what Elder called “blow outs – silver dollar sized holes where they were joined.”
Since the 1970s, municipalities have been using polyvinylchloride pipes, or PVCs. The plastic style pipes are known in the business as the Blue Brute because of their colour and strength. Elder noted, though, that there are extra costs associated with them, even though there are few breaks. One is being able to detect them. When workers place them into the ground, they also string tracing wires with them so they can be located if it is necessary.
Elder said when streets are rebuilt these days, PVCs are used. The same goes for new subdivisions.
Elder saluted his crews who do the repairs. “The guys work in the wet, in all kinds of weather. When it was minus 30, they were out there … They do a great job.”
