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Water main breaks become more common as temperatures drop

WSSC Water crews were working to repair a water main break on Rockville Pike Friday morning.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Edson Lane flooded Friday morning following a water main break on Rockville Pike. 

Pete Piringer with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue said the break was reported around 7:30 a.m. on Rockville Pike across from the White Flint Lord & Taylor store between Security Lane and Edson Lane.

WSSC Water were on the scene working to repair the break to a 16-inch pipe Friday, and shut down the water in the area. There is no word yet on how many customers are impacted by the break.

Additional details were not immediately available on this break Friday morning. 

WSSC Water said in a release earlier this week that winter is water main break season as colder temperatures move in to the region.

Every year, WSSC Water responds to approximately 1,800 water main breaks; 1,200 of them between the months of November and February. Crews have repaired nearly 200 breaks and leaks in November and are seeing a steady increase over the past few days due to the dropping temperatures, WSSC Water said.

WSSC Water created a graph that shows the relation between river temperature and water main breaks.

“Winter is our busiest season and our crews are fully prepared to tackle the expected increase in breaks and leaks with the same level of urgency as in previous years,” said WSSC Water General Manager and CEO Carla A. Reid in the release. “I assure our customers that we are fully staffed and stocked with materials, and we do not anticipate this global pandemic to slow our response and repair times.”

For more information about how to prepare for winter weather, click here.

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