Everyone’s water supply is extremely important for health and basic living standards, every homeowner should be aware of what to do in the event of a water main / Water line emergency. Water main breaks can have a large impact on the pressure and quality of water coming into your home. There are several variables as to why a water main service may break, a few of the most common are a change in temperature which may have an impact on the inside or outside of the water main pipe causing a fracture or break in the pipe.
New York City department of Environmental Protection (DEP) experiences 500+ water line breaks per year. The severity of each break ranges from a small leak dripping every few hours to an emergency break where the water is uncontrollable; a licensed plumber must be contacted to turn the water off in the street. If a moderate to severe break is not attended to in a short period of time the result may be water leaking in a neighbor’s home, damage to the street and sidewalk and if serious enough the entire street may be shut down.
In the event that you notice water seeping through your sidewalk, street or front yard you should call 311 immediately. It is highly recommended that you call 311 to inspect the area especially if you suspect a potentially dangerous situation as they have tendencies to turn from bad to worst in a short period of time
