ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- Like the rest of Texas, the City of Odessa experienced a severe cold spell beginning Monday January 30th, that kept temperatures below freezing through Wednesday February 1st. Historically when a city experiences a freeze event lasting several days, utility workers see a higher-than-average number of water main breaks once things begin to thaw because the ground warms up and begins to shift, which can cause breaks.
As expected, when temperatures began to rise last Thursday, the City had main line ruptures which have continued through today.
Main line breaks:
- Thursday: 4 breaks involving cast iron pipes
- Friday: 4 breaks involving cast iron pipes.
- Saturday: 3 breaks involving cast iron pipes and 1 cement pipe break.
- Sunday: 3 breaks involving cast iron pipes.
- Monday: 6 breaks involving cast iron pipes.
All broken lines involved pipes that were 40 years old or older and occurred in the older sections of town.
In a statement, City leaders said of the crews working tirelessly to make repairs, “The City of Odessa wants to express (its) deepest appreciation for every crew member’s extraordinary effort over the past few days to restore valuable utility services to our citizens and businesses so they can continue with their lives. Many may not realize it, but it is you that does the hard work of restoring our community after the storm. It’s the behind-the-scenes type of work that makes a huge impact on our community. We recognize these Utility Crews for all the important work that they do for our great community.”
