Three water main breaks hit Lynchburg over weekend as triple-digit heat stresses pipes

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Pipe bursts aren’t just a winter weather problem.

This weekend, Lynchburg city crews responded to a water main break on Wards Road. They say extreme summer heat may have contributed to the break.

Crews responded to a water main break Sunday around noon near the intersection of Wards Road and Fort Avenue. The break happened on a 12-inch diameter water main, leaving water flowing into the street and nearby parking lots.

By Sunday evening, crews repaired the break. But now, they’re still working to reopen the outer lane of Wards Road and the surrounding sidewalks.

City of Lynchburg Communications Manager Jason Snyder says the crews at Lynchburg Water Resources work hard to respond to any water emergency in the city. “When you have a break like this, just because of the amount of water, it washes out some of the ground beneath the concrete,” Snyder says.

SEE ALSO: Water line breaks along Wards Road in Lynchburg, causing flooding

Lynchburg Water Resources crews have been busy, as this was one of three breaks that they treated just this past weekend. Snyder says this is because main breaks like this one are more likely on the most extreme weather days of the year.

“It’s always tough to say what the exact cause for a particular main break is, but given that we had three over the weekend and we had temperatures in the triple digits, it’s likely that the temperature would have had something to do with it.”

On extreme weather days, intense hot and cold temperatures cause the ground below to expand and contract, placing extra stress on the buried pipes. He adds that the pipe beneath Wards Road was about 70 years old, making it more likely to be in need of maintenance.

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With temperatures returning closer to normal this week, crews are planning to complete this project and reopen all lanes of Wards Road on July 7.

Snyder says repairs to both the street and walkways are a top priority. He encourages drivers to be cautious when passing through and to check for updates on any of Lynchburg Water Resources’ social media pages.