Frozen pipes create more water woes for the city

Empty faucets for Ron Dorman

Ron Dorman returned home from a weekend away to discover his water had stopped running. He tried thawing out his pipes, but discovered the problem wasn’t indoors. The pipe that runs from his water meter to the street was frozen. Dorman called the city immediately.

"And they said okay, we'll have somebody out there, shouldn't be long. And that was at seven o'clock Monday night," he says.

The city told Dorman they would add him to a waiting list of around 80 people.

The city told CTV they have three three specialized frozen service thawing machines that are operating 15 hours a day, seven days a week. Furthermore, some frozen water pipes require excavation work in order to thaw, which requires excavation crews. Currently there are two crews dedicated to frozen service work, also working 7 days a week.

The city says frost has penetrated deeper into the ground than normal due to prolonged periods of cold weather. It says the number of frozen water pipes being reported is the highest in over a decade.

The city says anyone without water should call 311. If the city’s portion of the pipe is frozen, the city says it will thaw that pipe at no cost.

The city also urges people not to use electrical appliances, like hair dryers and blow torches, to thaw pipes.