TULSA -- The City of Tulsa said the dry weather conditions are to blame for the large number of water line breaks.
Eric Parker with the city's water distribution said there have been around 140 since mid December. He called that number "abnormal."
"We've been pretty low, been fortunate, but December really caught up with us," Parker said.
Some might think the cold weather is causing the pipes to break around the city. Parker said it is not the cause, but it does not help.
"Just the ground being dry," Parker said. "We haven't had a lot of rain fall. The ground being dry and hard and shifting and it puts stress on the water lines and causes them to break."
Parker said it has nothing to do with the age of the city's infrastructure either.
"We have old pipes, but the pipes are rated for 100 years," Parker said. "We have a very active utility board that really makes sure we put money back into the infrastructure."
The city typically sees more water breaks during the summer and winter months because those are the driest times of the year.
During those busy times, crews are working non-stop just to keep their heads above the water.
"We have guys that are working probably 60 hours or more and just trying to keep up," Parker said. "We have gone to five, ten hour days. The shift starts at 7:00 and end at 5:30, but there is really no such thing as 5:30. It just goes to when we get done."
After they stop the water from flowing through the streets, the streets can be left torn up. Currently part of the 31st Street and Utica intersection is closed because of a water line break.
"What we try to do is dress it up, meaning we fill it up with dirt, try to if it's in a green area but we do have a contractor that comes in and will replace the streets or sidewalks, curbs, whatever has been taken out," Parker said.
The number of water line breaks was fewer Monday, according to Parker. He said it was likely because of the rain on Sunday.
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