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Several water main breaks under repair in Metro Detroit communities

Crews scamble to keep up with water main breaks in Metro Detroit
Crews scamble to keep up with water main breaks in Metro Detroit 02:03

(CBS DETROIT) — Water mains continue to break in Metro Detroit due to winter weather and temperature fluctuations. 

The latest reports included one from Taylor, where city officials reported Tuesday that crews were repairing 11 water main breaks from this past weekend and four that happened overnight. They attribute the breaks to stress fractures in the pipe caused by ground movement as it began to thaw out.

"When the problem is corrected, usually your tap water will be hazy," said the announcement on the city of Taylor's website. "Please let the cold water run until the discoloration vanishes and the water becomes clear." 

In Berkley, the Department of Public Works is addressing "multiple water main breaks that have arisen in the city over the past two days." The repair locations include Harvard Road between Mortenson Boulevard and Berkley Avenue. 

"It's in above-ground storage tanks, and that water is circulated. It's water pulled out of the Great Lakes that is frozen. So the water temperature really affects those pipes," said Berkley Deputy City Manager Shawn Young.

Young says extreme cold followed by warmer weather is their sign to start preparing for water main repairs.

"So we know that cold snap and the after-effects of that cold snap is when we start to see our water main breaks. It's kind of routine. Four to five main breaks in a weekend is not uncommon, but it's not something we want to see," he said.

Gibraltar city officials then reported a water main break Tuesday morning on Young Drive between South Gibraltar Road and Worth Street. City officials said those in the affected area should check their water.

The city of Oak Park also has reported a water main break that needed repairs in the area of Montmarte Court.

One crew fixing a water main break in Royal Oak says the most difficult step is locating these fractures.

"Water can be coming up 20 feet away from where the actual break is, so the hardest part is drilling into the ground, probing, and looking for where the break actually is," said Royal Oak water maintenance worker Isaac Polanski.

Parts of Detroit, Harper Woods and Dearborn also have been plagued with water main breaks in recent days. 

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