SAN ANTONIO — We hear about bursting pipes when extreme cold arrives, but burst pipes from heat? Yeah, it is happening. And according to the San Antonio Water Service this could only be the beginning.
During the summer in San Antonio there are two types of breaks: those that are caused by construction, and those that are caused by extreme heat.
Lilliana Gonzalez, a Senior Communications Specialist with SAWS, told us that main breaks increase during the hotter months, but not because the heat itself damages them.
"San Antonio is growing, so there's certainly a lot of demand for construction and infrastructure upgrades. But so unfortunately, that makes us more susceptible to those types of breaks. But then also the heat that we're talking about will cause that undue stress," she said.
On Father's Day at the Rim a burst pipe from the heat caused massive problems.
"During the summer, our infrastructure is more susceptible to the high demand and the extra strain that is that is placed on it by the soil shifting," Gonzalez said.
With the extreme heat there is an increase in demand for water. That increases the pressure within the pipe. Then the problem here in south Texas, is the clay soil. When that becomes extremely hot and dry, the soil can shift. And with the extra water in the pipe, it causes the pipe to vibrate against the rocky soil and burst.
The problem becomes exacerbated if people are not following stage two watering restrictions and using more water than they should be.
"If everyone's running their sprinkler system, especially when they're not supposed to be, creates even higher demand, which puts extra stress on the infrastructure. And then we will see even more breaks," Gonzalez added.
Gonzalez says with so many triple digit days ahead, this is likely just the beginning.
"Unfortunately, the longer we are in extreme high temperatures, the drier the soils get, you know, more demand for water. It just is a recipe for an increased demand and stress on our infrastructure," Gonzalez said.
SAWS says that if you see water running down any place where you don't think it should be report it by calling 210-704-SAWS.