Winnipeg, MB - The City continues to advise property owners with a frozen water pipe not to install their own temporary hose lines with their neighbours, but rather, to arrange for a City-installed hose line. This will ensure that the required public health and safety measures are taken, such as:
- using a hose approved for drinking water,
- flushing the hose to sanitize before installing,
- ensuring that both properties have a functioning outside tap that doesn't leak, and
- installing the hose properly.
In addition, this enables the City to take a water meter reading so that we can credit the neighbour's utility bill once the water pipe is thawed and the temporary hose line is removed.
We are keeping up with the demand for hose line installations, and are now scheduling up to about 30 appointments per day. Temporary hose line installation appointments are available seven days a week, between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Residents can choose between three blocks of time when scheduling their appointment:
- 8:00 a.m. to noon,
- noon to 4:00 pm, or
- 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Since yesterday, no additional properties have been identified as needing to take preventative measures by running one cold water tap. The City identifies which properties receive notifications where there is an increased risk of the City water pipe freezing based on a risk assessment for each property.
Properties at an elevated risk of the water pipe freezing are primarily identified based on a combination of the following factors:
- properties on the side of the street with water pipes that extend long distances under pavement,
- city blocks with a higher density of reported frozen water pipes, based on the premise that houses in the same street block will be of similar vintage/design standards and therefore are at a similar risk level.
The City makes direct contact with citizens whose properties are deemed at elevated risk by a phone call and a hand-delivered notice.
Citizens are reminded that they are to run one cold water tap at a trickle at all times only under the following circumstances:
- the City has contacted you to advise that your property has an increased risk of the City portion of the water pipe freezing,
- you are currently getting your water from a temporary hose line connected to a neighbour, or
- City crews have thawed a frozen water pipe already for you this winter.
If property owners have not been contacted directly by the City of Winnipeg, it is important that they do not leave their water running due to operational risks that such an action could have on our water and sewer systems (e.g., sewer backup, basement flooding, sewage treatment plant upset).
To date:
| Number of properties identified as being at an increased risk of the possibility of frozen pipes | 5,447 |
| Number of frozen water pipe reports this winter (since November 2013) | 1,766 |
| Number of properties where water has been restored (e.g., thawing) | 677 |
| Number of properties on the list for City thawing | 1,089 |
| Number of City-installed temporary hose lines | 276 |
| Number of properties without a water supply to their taps due to frozen pipes | 813 |
City crews are working to thaw frozen water pipes as quickly as possible. Crews are working day and night, seven days a week. Today, we are currently thawing properties that reported “no water” to 311 on February 21, 2014. There are some exceptions to this, as listed on Winnipeg.ca/frozenpipes