Cold Spells Rupture Hundreds Of City Of Tampa Water Pipes

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Water Department crews and contractors are working to fix citywide damage triggered by the late December cold snap and are crossing their fingers that this weekend's predicted plunge in temperatures doesn't create more havoc.

Between Dec. 26 and Dec. 30, the Tampa Water Department did nearly 100 pipe repairs and responded to nearly 300 calls for service. In some cases, the department saw more than five times the normal workload.

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While crews managed to quickly repair water main leaks across the city, including the leak a troublesome leak on busy North Jefferson Street in downtown Tampa, it will take weeks for crews to finish the work.

Currently, there are more than 140 restoration projects that need to be completed that will require multi-person work crews with heavy equipment.

Significant shifts in cold weather can put stress on pipes, leading to water main breaks. Older, more brittle pipes are more likely to break during cold snaps. More than 30 percent of pipes in the city of Tampa are at least 60 years old.

As a result, the Tampa Water Department is in the process of replacing the aging infrastructure using funding from the Progressive Infrastructure Planning to Ensure Sustainability, or PIPES.

The department is on track to replace an average of 20 miles of water pipeline each year.