Fewer water line breaks reported
By JESS MANCINIPARKERSBURG - Weather conditions haven't caused many water line breaks so far this winter, say local officials who are keeping their fingers crossed.
''Now watch, I'll get them this weekend,'' said Belpre Mayor Mike Lorentz.
Line breaks happen when the soil around the pipe shifts, which can be caused by freezing and thawing, and the pipe snaps.
Except for several frigid days, the area hasn't experienced that freezing and thawing, said Eric Bennett, manager of the Parkersburg Utility Board, the largest municipal water utility in the area. Only a few breaks have occurred, he said.
However, the longer it stays below freezing, the further down into the soil the frost goes, he said. That generally is around mid January to mid February, Bennett said.
''That's when we get hit the worst,'' he said.
Most of the problems are with older metal pipe and some of the older plastic water lines, Bennett said. Newer plastic pipe is more flexible and can withstand the forces that causes other pipes to break, he said.
''Typically it's elastic enough that it doesn't break,'' Bennett said.
Ditto in Marietta where there's been a few breaks, but not necessarily on account of the weather, water Superintendent Paul Beach said.
Freezing water can exert tremendous pressure, he said. It expands 11 percent when it goes from its normal liquid state to a solid, Beach said.
''It's the only liquid in the world that does that,'' Beach said.
Lorentz also said Belpre hasn't had many breaks. If there were, he would know because he's the person who will get the calls.
''Usually they start with me and work their way down,'' he said.
