ST. LOUIS — As we thawed out from freezing temperatures this week, pipes burst in many places. However, the City of St. Louis and county are working to reduce the number of water main breaks, but that number still isn't zero.
Christie Barnhart with Missouri American Water said the utility company that serves people in the county is making investments to avoid breaks in the future.
"Missouri American Water continues to make investments in replacing the pipe in St. Louis County, and in 2024 we have plans to replace about 60 miles of water main," Barnhart said.
In an interview this week with the City's Water Division, director Curt Skouby pointed to money issues as the reason why they couldn't make the much-needed replacements.
"We repair and replace as funds become available and we're always searching for funds to do this," Skouby said.
But last year, St. Louis aldermen voted in favor of a roughly 40% water rate increase, one of the largest increases ever.
On Friday, the city reported nearly 45 of the more than 60 water main breaks this week are fixed.
However, a number of them remain "on hold" for crews to fix at an unspecified later date.
Missouri American Water said they've also reduced current water main breaks by more than half.
"Currently, we're working about seven main breaks. Last week, during the peak of the winter weather, we were seeing about 30 a day, so things have slowed down significantly, and our crews have been able to keep up. They're finally getting a little bit of a much-needed break," Barnhart said.
Barnhart said regardless of whether you live in the city or county, drivers should be aware of crews continuing to work at all hours of the day to fix the breaks.
"Just be very aware. When you're driving up and you see the orange flashing lights, you know our workers are there and we want them to be safe," Barnhart added.
Utility companies urge customers who are still experiencing low water pressure or no water to contact their service provider to have a crew come out and help.