Regina sets September record for water main breaks

After the busiest September on record for water main leaks, the City of Regina is getting a break.

Pat Wilson, director of water works, said there were 125 water main breaks in September —compared to 28 in 2016.

In some cases, she said other city departments have stepped up to help with the cleanup efforts.

Wilson said most of the leaks occurred in the city’s more established neighbourhoods, where the pipes tend to be made out of materials that are starting to wear.

“One of our biggest challenges in concrete pipes — so concrete, just like concrete basements, get cracks,” she explained. “We also have a tremendous amount of cast iron (pipes) left.”

Since the start of October, Wilson said the number of calls to report water main breaks has been cut in half. She said the most calls they’ve ever received in one day was 16.

While the final numbers haven’t been tallied, Wilson estimates the city has spent around $1 million on water main breaks in September alone, which would level out their budget for this year.

“Through October, November, December, we will be over on our water main break budget; however, we also have other budgets, where we have possibly done less work because some routine work has had to be deferred,” Wilson explained.

With three months left to go, Wilson said, at this pace, the city could break a yearly water main break record. As of right now, the most water main breaks recorded was 341, which was in 2003.