DETROIT (WXYZ) — It’s been a brutal week for Detroit’s infrastructure. As freezing temperatures linger, city water crews are being pushed to the limit.
Fifty to 60 broken water mains have been reported since Monday, according to the Detroit Water and Sewarage Department.
Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below:
“Extremely. It’s been a very rough winter as everybody knows," DWSD Chief Operating Officer Ericka Meah told 7 News Detroit.
She said that’s why over 200 crews are deployed across the city.
Two pipes broke on Rosemont Avenue less than a quarter mile apart. One happened near Janice Alexander’s driveway on Tuesday.
“My water was really slow, and then I looked outside and was taking my grandkids to school and I saw all the water just coming out of the drain," she explained.
After Alexander called it in, DWSD sent team lead Chauncey Philson and his crew to make the repair.
“It’s very hard, but we gotta get the job done," Philson said.
While the timeline for each job varies, he said the goal to finish each is "as quickly as possible." Philson said the freezing cold isn’t just a challenge on their bodies; the temperatures are a real obstacle to reaching the problem.
“Yeah, it’s challenging. Like, ya know, you see the ice removal. Whenever we have a lot of ice in the area that we’re working in, that can lead to a good challenge because we might not see the leak as fast as we can,” Philson said.
Watch our previous report about frozen streets and dozens of water main breaks below:
Resident Artelle Gandy is dealing with the aftermath of a broken main over on Cherrylawn Street. She’s concerned about the ice that formed on her driveway and in front of her home, making it difficult to leave.
“I know that the pipes are old, and we are going to have to do something. I will say that. How we're going to do it? I don’t know. But it does need to be done or it’ll keep happening," she said.
Watch our previous report when we spoke with Detroit Water and Sewerage Director Gary Brown about the concerns below:
7 News Detroit let the city know Gandy's concerns, and we're told a crew is planning to assist her. In the meantime, residents are asked to do their part as crews continue to respond.
"If you can move cars, that would help. If you could drive around the construction workers as you see them, if you could drive cautiously just on the streets to avoid hitting a hydrant — those are also big problems when we have weather temperatures like this. So just be careful, be cautious. And again, report, report, report," Meah said.
