While everyone did their best to stay inside during the frigid cold this month, some people did not have that option. Workers in the Manitowoc Public Utilities Water Division were dealing with water main breaks, all while battling sub-zero temperatures.
We spoke with Rob Michaelson, the Water Systems Manager at MPU, and he said he is incredibly proud of his team and all the work they did to ensure Manitowoc’s water kept flowing.
These workers were not down there without protection though.
“Safety is our paramount concern when it comes to doing this work. One of the first things we do is make sure the employees have the proper equipment,” Michaelson said. “They have their own personal protective equipment…but the biggest thing in keeping them safe, you will notice that unless it’s absolutely necessary, we do not repair water main breaks in the dark. With the challenges we are already dealing with…we don’t want to add the visibility issue to that.”
As for why there were so many breaks in the water mains, Michaelson explained, “That’s primarily due to the frost that’s penetrating the road surface which puts pressure on the underground mains. Our mains are six feet deep just to stay out of the frozen ground, but the pressure…tends to break the more brittle mains. We think it also might be related to the cold water from the lake.”
The leader of MPU’s Water Division also told us a little bit about the infrastructure that is found under city streets.
“Under every city street, you are going to find a cast iron, or ductal iron water main that provides the water to the neighborhoods,” he said. “From that water main, there is a smaller pipe called a water service that connects the home to the water main.”
When a water service breaks, more often than not it is noticed when water begins to pool in residential lawns, which results in MPU crews teaming up with the City to close down that section of the roadway and repairing the pipe.
Michaelson also said they aim to replace roughly one mile of the 183 miles of water main every year, to help ensure they remain in working condition through the winter months. Some of that main is near 100 years old, which puts it more at risk for cracking and breaking.
