With temperatures below seasonal for the first weekend of spring, the city is asking residents with temporary hose lines to wrap their taps in a towel to prevent from freezing.
Randy Hull, Winnipeg’s emergency preparedness coordinator, said Friday that 1,332 properties were waiting for thawing service. A total of 579 properties have temporary hose lines installed to run a water supply from a neighbour’s house.
“It’s an extreme situation, so you do extreme things to try to help yourselves out,” Hull said of the frozen pipe crisis. “People are very resilient, but I know that peoples’ patience is wearing thin. We really have to wait for Mother Nature to turn the corner and improve things for us.”
Back in 1979, the city was dealing with a similar situation, as 2,700 properties needed their water lines thawed.
If wrapping your temporary hose line proves unsuccessful, the city says to boil water and slowly pour it on the connection. Dedicated crews will be out on Saturday to assist property owners in thawing and connecting new lines. Residents can call 311 to request the service.
Frost beneath the ground is said to be between 7 and 9 feet deep and could last into June.
Three citizen resource centres are now open to assist residents who are without running water.
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