CUDAHY, Wis. — Some Cudahy residents were without water for much of Wednesday.
Crews and city contractors spent the day repairing a series of water main breaks concentrated on Cudahy’s North Side.
Darrin Hanson could only watch the repairs just a few feet away from home when he returned. He told TMJ4 he saw the break happen.
"The water was shooting pretty far out of the ground, probably 4 or 5 feet up in the air," Hanson said.
After a long day at the office, he came home to find no running water.
"I got off work, and I'm still here waiting to take a shower," said Hanson. "The dog needs his water, so I'm probably going to go to the store and get some bottled water for him."
Hanson was not alone; at least five different water main breaks were reported Wednesday by the city.
A representative from the city engineering department attributed the breaks to significant temperature changes that caused the ground to shift and the pipes to move. They also told TMJ4 this was one of the worst outbreaks of water main breaks they had seen in one day.
Cudahy isn’t the only community experiencing a number of water main breaks. The city of Milwaukee has already reported more than 120 breaks this year, compared to 95 last year.
Watch: Cluster of water main breaks leave some Cudahy residents without water
"It's just crazy what happened," said Paul Dzwonkowski.
Dzwonkowski witnessed the water main break on his Cudahy street early Wednesday morning. Since then, he has been without water.
"It's tough, especially if you have to use the bathroom," Dzwonkowski said. "You can't do anything about it because the water is down."
While Dzwonkowski was able to travel to his sister’s nearby, others, like Hanson, waited patiently for their water service to return.
"I would hate to come home another day and be in this situation again, that's for sure," Hanson said.
The city is working diligently to finish repairs as soon as possible. No timetable was provided for when the repairs would be finished since each break is different, but a city representative does not expect the Cudahy Water Utility to continue to monitor the situation as temperatures rise, ensuring residents have access to water again.
For those impacted by water main breaks and who had their water shut off, the utility advises homeowners to run a cold water faucet in the basement when service is restored. This action can help remove any air trapped in the piping and flush the internal system.
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