New Martinsville employees are shown at a waterline break.

With temperatures reaching as low as -10 degrees in parts of the county, it is inevitable that water lines will freeze and bust. Residence services often experience frozen water lines. Water bills will be higher due to sinks left dripping in the extreme cold to prevent freezing.

It is at this time of year that cities and towns water department crews are tested in subfreezing temperatures to make repairs to water lines.

Each of the four communities in Wetzel County reported some problems with leaks, but no major ruptures in lines.

The town of Hundred when contacted about any problems during this cold snap survived with only a couple problems. Their water system is made up of pipes that are over fifty years old. They were upgraded in 1973. Three-hundred family dwellings depend on the system for water.

The town of Pine Grove also only reported a couple issues during the cold. The town provides water for 240 customers. They also have water lines that are over fifty years old. The town has for several years struggled with their water system. Fortunately, the cold spell has not given them any more problems.

Paden City at last report had no major issues with the system during the cold snap. The system and the Paden City fire crew and city maintenance were tested with a late-night house fire. Crews from nearby communities turned out to help with the house fire.

New Martinsville water department had two-line breaks that required the water department to shut down portions of the system while repairs were being made. The two leaks were in the same part of town and only a couple blocks apart. One repair was made with a slip sleeve repair coupling and the other required a portion of the line to be removed and a new style coupling was installed.

New Martinsville services approximately 2,500 homes. Water lines range from twelve inches down to three inches. Only 10% of the city lines are less than 50 years old. Using a google map and mileage index, a calculation was roughly made to have some idea of miles of water line in the community that need to be maintained. The length of lines is in the forty-mile range. The wooden pipes of long ago were removed in the sixties. Today plastic and transit lines are in place.

One of the major problems is the age of the communities. Over the last 150 years towns have expanded and grown. The original lines and sizing have not always kept up with the growth of the communities.

Mayor Keith Nelson stated that water lines are no more likely to break in the cold weather, than at any other time. Lines are buried a distance underground to prevent freezing temperatures affecting them. He did point out that water lines in the Thistle Drive area are buried in soil made up of sand and gravel. He states, “In this porous soil, the cold can cause extreme circumstances to migrate further down in the ground approaching the water lines.”